Tara Smith

Biography

Tembey has had a key role in developing some of the Ivy League's top hitters since joining the Cornell staff ahead of the 2019-20 season. In 2022-23, the Big Red led the Ivy League in home runs (34) and finished third in slugging percentage (.388) and fourth in RBI (142). Freshman Lauren Holt led the Ivy with nine homers, junior Emma Antich had seven and freshman Sydney Stapf hit five. All three players drove in more than 25 runs. Holt continued to put up big numbers as a sophomore in 2024, driving in a league-high 41 runs and hitting nine more home runs. She became the first Cornell player since 2010 to drive in at least 40 runs in a season. Sophomore Ella Harrod upped her batting average by 110 points from her freshman season (she hit .319) and struck out just twice. Only five other Division I players struck out two times or fewer during the regular season. Additionally, freshman Hailey Pirkey became a key part of the Big Red's offense midway through the 2024 season. Against Ivy competition, she hit .339 with four home runs (tied for fourth in the league) and five doubles (tied for fifth) while driving in 14 runs (ninth). That success held true during the 2025 campaign, as Holt found herself third in the Ivy in slugging percentage (.670) and OPS (1.138), as well as fourth in home runs with nine.