Hagen Smith was rated as the top left-handed high-school pitcher in the country last year. When it became clear the MLB draft was out of the picture, Arkansas as all too happy to receive his services.
Saturday showed why.
Smith pitched six innings of shutout ball in his collegiate debut and preseason All-American Robert Moore knocked in three runs as Arkansas bounced back from its season-opening loss to Illinois State on Saturday, 5-1.
Smith was dynamite from the word go, striking out three of the first six batters he faced, eliminating all of them. Even by the sixth, his final inning, on 77 pitches, he still retired the Redbirds in order, 1-2-3.
By that point he had already been staked to a 4-0 lead. Moore had hit a solo home run in the first and Cayden Wallace had an RBI single in the second for the early Arkansas runs. Moore blasted a two-run home double in the fifth to give the Diamond Hogs even more breathing room. Moore and Wallace each went 2 for 4 on the day with Wallace also cranking a double.
But the game belonged to the southpaw pitcher as coach Dave Van Horn completely re-organizes his weekend rotation from last year. Smith is almost assuredly going to be in it.
Kent State transfer Michael Turner had an RBI double in the eighth for Arkansas’ final run. Connor Olson singled home Illinois State’s lone run in the ninth.