About Us
Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. My name is Dennis Smith, and I will use this page to give a little background and insight into my family’s life and what it is like raising our son, who is high functioning on the Autism Spectrum.
My wife, Jenna, and I met in 2006 and got married in 2008. In 2009, we welcomed our first of four children, Drew. Drew, as we found out down the road, is on the spectrum for Autism. We had a feeling he was non-verbal for almost his 1st year, but finally were relieved when we did finally get a diagnosis. Drew is highly functional and is currently a sophomore at Ocean City High School.
We have three other awesome kids, Quinn, and twins Addy and Chase. Jenna is a middle school teacher at Galloway Township Middle School, where she also serves as the President of the Galloway Township Education Association. I have been a teacher and admin at Holy Spirit for 16 years. The At-Bats for Autism Acceptance has been an idea I have had since I was the Girls’ Basketball Head Coach at my alma mater, Holy Spirit. I retired from coaching basketball after seven seasons and compiled a 144-31 record, with 6 conference championships, and 1 Cape Atlantic League Title.
I am looking forward to teaming with many of the varsity softball programs in South Jersey to make this event one to look forward to on the spring calendar. The Philadelphia Eagles Autism Foundation has done great work in the Delaware Valley, bringing Autism out from the dark areas and into the mainstream. Too many people were shunned because very few people understood what Autism was and did not know how to treat those with Autism.
I am a very lucky man to have the people in my life that I have, and that includes all family, friends, peers, fellow coaches, and our players! We all want this to become a stellar event that not just softball people, but everybody looks toward for the spring calendar year after year.
How We Came to Be?
The idea did start while I was a basketball coach, but when Jenna and I did get the final diagnosis for Drew, I was in my last season of coaching girls’ basketball here at Holy Spirit. In 2020, I took over the softball program at Holy Spirit, and after years of neglect, we finally won our first conference title in 32 years. At the end of the 2025 season, I stepped down to become the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Holy Spirit High School. In being a part of the Holy Spirit community, service to those who are not as fortunate as we are, is ingrained in all of us. We want to make sure there is always acceptance, and all of us on the committee believe very strongly in that statement.
For multiple season, our boys baseball team, formerly headed by Mr. Steve Normane, and now led by Mr. Mike Edwads, played in an Autism Awareness Classic game in North Jersey, and I was looking around South Jersey to see if any teams were hosting tournaments that helped just causes. There are the Ron Vinick Tourney in Millville, the Hammonton Tournament, the Battle of the Conferences at Overbrook, the Betty Howell Tournament hosted by Jason Heard and Oakcrest, but nothing with Autism, so we decided to take up the cause, and this has been a team effort across the board. This event could not be done without the help, advice, and willingness of Kristi Troster, Head Field Hockey and Softball coach at Egg Harbor Township High School, our Director of Guidance Sean Matteo, as well as Joe Rossi and Joe Fussner of the Atlantic County Umpires Association. Also, my thanks to Holy Spirit Athletic Director, Mark Reardon, and new head coach Pat Applegate, taking the reins this season. We have added new members to our Board, including Head Ocean City Coach Carrie Merritt, Kim Byrnes, Tyler Rossi and my daughter Quinn Smith to be in charge of all social media announcements.
After successfully completing our 3rd tournament this season, we are already in the planning stages for the 2027 event and will be expanding by another day to include a Holy Spirit centric day on Thursday April 8th. Holy Spirit Baseball, Softball, Boys Lacrosse and Girls Lacrosse will all be playing games in the event, and the day will become a day of service for the students at Holy Spirit.
Ready to Step Up to the Plate?
What started as a game has grown into a movement.
The At Bats 4 Autism Invitational brings people together through softball, but its true impact goes far beyond the field. Each year, this event continues to grow because of those willing to step forward and be part of something meaningful.
Stepping up to the plate means helping us carry that mission forward.
Interested in Getting Involved? Click the button below to contact us
