Tag: Hagen Smith

No. 1 Diamond Hogs handle Ole Miss in series opener

Hagen Smith’s number were middling…for Hagen Smith. Anyone else would kill for such a day.

Even Hagen Smith’s middling days are awfully good.

Arkansas’ left-handed ace and front-runner for most national pitching awards struck out 11 batters in six innings to help the No. 1 Diamond Hogs to a series-opening win over Ole Miss on Thursday, 5-2.

Smith, whose earned-run average sits at 1.76 after allowing both runs to the Rebels, walked four batters and allowed four hits. Both runs came in the third inning as Ole Miss picked up three of its four hits against Smith in that frame and one of the walks.

In the sixth inning, Wehiwa Aloy’s three-run home run provided Arkansas the lead, 4-2, after Jared Sprague-Lott’s RBI groundout in the fourth put the Razorbacks on the board. Sprague-Lott would then follow Aloy two batters later in the sixth with a solo home run to provide Smith a lead on his way out the door.

Will McEntire worked 2 2/3 innings to nearly finish before Stone Hewlett entered to collect the game’s final out.

The win provided Arkansas (25-3, 9-1) with a two-game lead in the SEC West, but the Diamond Hogs have just a half-game lead over Kentucky out in the East. Game Two is set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. from Baum-Walker Stadium.

Diamond Hogs change starting rotation on the mound vs. LSU

Actually, this might make Arkansas’ pitching even better.

During Wednesday’s press conference previewing this weekend’s series versus No. 8 LSU, coach Dave Van Horn told the media that there will be slight shake-up in the starting rotation.

Since the beginning of the season, the starting pitchers have played in the order of Hagen Smith on game one, then Brady Tygart, and finally Mason Molina. For the LSU series, Tygart and Molina will switch places.

Van Horn wants Tygart to have an extra day “to get right” after an uncharacteristic outing from the righty. Against Auburn, Tygart had trouble finding the zone, giving up 3 earned runs and a single-game career-high 5 walks in 3 2/3 innings.

Despite the performance, Tygart still has a 1.59 ERA on the season with 39 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings pitched.

There will be no drop-off in production on Friday, though. Molina is arguably the best third-day starter in the country. Other than a slightly higher ERA, he has a similar stat line to the other starters, recording a 2.57 ERA, 12 hits, 8 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched.

Arkansas’ series against the Tigers starts Thursday, March 28, at 6:00 pm.

Hagen Smith Earns his second SEC Pitcher of the Week honor

It’s surprising he hasn’t won it every week to be honest.

It’s honestly amazing how he hasn’t won this every week.

For the second time this season, Arkansas ace Hagen Smith earned Co-SEC Pitcher of the Week for his spectacular performance at No. 23 Auburn. The first of which he received after his monstrous, 17-strikeout performance against Oregon State.

Smith held the Tigers scoreless for six innings on Thursday, leading the Hogs to a 1-0 victory on the plains. In the process, he recorded his fourth game with double-digit strikeouts and his third with 12-plus.

If it wasn’t evident before then it surely is now; Smith has solidified himself as one of—if not the best pitchers in the country. The lefty has a 1.24 earned run average with 62 strikeouts on the season. However, if the James Madison game were removed, his ERA would go down to 0.32 for 60 Ks in 28 innings.

Smith is now tied for fourth on the all-time career strikeout list at Arkansas. His 12 strikeouts on Thursday brought his career total to 261.

Hoping to continue his dominant run, Smith is slated to start against No. 8 LSU on Thursday, March 28.

Hagen Smith records 17 strikeouts in Diamond Hogs victory over Oregon State

Hagen Smith is HIM. Diamond Hogs win 5-4 over Oregon State

What. A. Game.

Arkansas wins a thriller against No. 7 Oregon State, 5-4. Tonight’s game was the first time the two teams have met since the 2018 College World Series final, where Arkansas infamously dropped a championship-clinching foul ball.

After a bad start against James Madison just a week ago, Diamond Hogs ace Hagen Smith had the game of his career. The left-hander threw 15 straight strikeouts against one of the best batting lineups in the country, including the No. 3 draft prospect Travis Bazzana. The second baseman from Sydney, Australia, went 0-3 against Smith.

After 6 innings, Smith was pulled, but not before tying the Arkansas record for most strikeouts by a pitcher at 17. He threw 78 pitches for 59 strikes.

In that time, Arkansas gained a 4-0 lead on a double from Ben McLaughlin in the top of the 5th, and another run in the 6th, but in the most poetic fashion. Lead off hitter Ryder Helfrick reached first on a dropped pop-up by third baseman Trent Caraway. Subsequently, he was brought home on a single from the next batter Jayson Jones.

After Smith’s exit, Oregon State began to wake up, scoring 4 unanswered runs in the 7th and 8th innings. By the 9th inning, the Beavers were trying to repeat 2018’s game 2 comeback and in a puzzling decision, Coach Dave Van Horn calls Jake Faherty to close the game.

The hard-throwing, righty has had the power to be a closer but lacked the control to get himself on the mound. However, tonight he certainly earned playing time. Faherty closed the game with 10 pitches and two strikeouts, bringing the total team strikeouts to 23, an Arkansas record.

Arkansas will take Globe Life Field again tomorrow to play Oklahoma State at 7:00 PM.

Beyond the box: Examining Arkansas’ numbers after set with James Madison

DVH isn’t worried about Hagen Smith, nor should you be. Besides, the team can rake enough to get by.

Perfect should not be the enemy of good.

The Arkansas baseball team should be feeling plenty good after their season-opening series against James Madison.

The Diamond Hogs, who moved up to No. 2 in the country in the D1Baseball poll earlier on Monday, beat James Madison 4-0 in the series finale to take the set three games to one.

On the whole, it was solid. Arkansas hit .310 as a team in the series and limited James Madison to .203. The top of the Diamond Hogs’ lineup provided plenty of punch and the bottom-half didn’t look out of sorts, either. Razorbacks pitchers, mostly, looked worthy of the ‘best staff in the country’ some have labeled upon them.

Arkansas’ real test comes this upcoming weekend in a three-game series in Arlington, Texas. None of the opponents are repeats and the Diamond Hogs will open Friday against No. 7 Oregon State.

But based off numbers, Arkansas should leave the Lone Star State with more wins than losses.

Let’s take a look at some of those numbers and what they meant against the Bulldogs.

Finding a leftfielder

Wil Edmunson, Jayson Jones and Ross Lovich split time in leftfield for the Diamond Hogs against James Madison. None of the three took the job and ran with it.

Jones, the only player among the three who was on the team last year, started two games, but went 1 for 7 at the plate with two strikeouts. Lovich, who hit .306 in 26 starts for Missouri last year, went 1 for 3 with a walk. And Edmunson, a transfer from Hutchinson Community College, finished the weekend 1 for 5, though he was hit by a pitch and ultimately scored three runs while adding a stolen base.

Three Big Sticks

Van Horn had a good idea who his three best hitters this season would be entering the series. It was borne out.

The trio of Kendall Diggs, Ben McLaughlin and Hudson White raked for the Diamond Hogs. Among them, they picked up 16 hits and walked an astonishing 13 times against the Bulldogs. They also combined for eight of the team’s 11 extra-base hits on the weekend, scoring 10 runs and knocking in another nine.

Smith’s status

Hagen Smith, Arkansas’ ace left-hander, didn’t have an ideal weekend. Van Horn allowed him to pitch just one inning in the opener after Smith allowed three runs on two walks and a hit.

On the short list for the Golden Spikes Award, Smith simply didn’t have his feel against James Madison. Van Horn said he isn’t worried.

“Hagen knows how to pitch. He’s fine.”

Fans on social media more content after Diamond Hogs start with a ‘W’

Arkansas fans find some relief with baseball’s 6-3 opening-day win.

With the football and baseball seasons seemingly going down thew tubes, Arkansas fans have high hopes for the No. 3 Diamond Hogs to rally the fan fan base.

After a first-inning hiccup that had the Razorbacks down 3-0 in their season-opener against James Madison Friday afternoon, the bats began to heat up in a 6-4 victory over the Dukes.

Arkansas All-American lefty Hagen Smith showed some first-game jitters, walking a pair of batters, before surrendering a three-run homer to JMU’s Fenwick Trimble.

But the Arkansas crowd didn’t have to wait long to begin Calling the Hogs, as they plated two runs in each of the first three innings, to take a 6-3 lead. The real celebration began after sophomore Gage Wood sat down the Dukes in order in the ninth inning.

The Hogs are now 21-1 in opening-day games under Head Coach Dave Van Horn.

The two teams are slated to play three more games in as many day, beginning Saturday at 2 p.m.

Here is some of the chatter on X, following the baseball season-opener:

Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball predicts Arkansas to win the College World Series

Can Hogs Baseball take home the national championship? One national writer thinks so.

After a disaster-filled beginning to the 2023-24 athletic year, Razorbacks baseball has the chance to bring back a sense of pride for the Arkansas faithful. Indeed, one national writer believes the Hogs have a great opportunity to bring much more than pride back to the state.

D1Baseball—one of the largest college baseball outlets in the country—released its bold predictions for the 2024 college baseball season. Managing Editor Kendall Rogers believes the Razorbacks will win the College World Series.

However, Rogers wasn’t alone in picking Arkansas to win it all. Four of the nine writers contributing to the piece also picked the Hogs to bring hardware back to Fayetteville, tying Wake Forest as the favorite amongst the contributors.

Additionally, left-handed pitcher Hagen Smith continues to rack up the preseason accolades. Including Rogers, four writers predicted Smith as the preseason Pitcher of the Year, matching fellow lefty Josh Hartle of Wake Forrest. The Demon Deacons are favorites to take the honor, though, as  right-hander Chase Burns also acquired two votes.

Arkansas opens its regular season Friday in a four-game set against James Madison.

Arkansas baseball to begin 2024 with four-game series against JMU

Sophomore ace Hagen Smith will take the ball in Friday’s season-opener against James Madison.

After suffering through dismal football and basketball seasons, Arkansas fans are hopeful that Razorback baseball team can finally shake the doldrums and return some joy to the faithful fanbase.

Ranked in the top four of all five major polls, the Diamond Hogs begin their journey on Friday, as James Madison comes to Baum Walker Stadium for the first of a four-game series to open the season.

The opener has been moved up an hour, due to inclement weather, and will begin at 2 p.m.

Head Coach Dave Van Horn has tabbed ace left-hander and consensus All-American Hagen Smith to take the hill in Game 1, making him the first Arkansas hurler to start consecutive Opening Days since Blaine Knight did it in 2017 and 2018.

Smith tossed five scoreless innings in a 3-2 win over Texas in last season’s opener in Arlington, striking out eight Longhorns. The 6-foot-3 junior Texas native is one of the top returning pitcher in the country, following a stellar 8-2 sophomore campaign, in which he had a team-best 3.64 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 71.2 innings.

After holding opposing batters to a .217 batting average and being named a semifinalist for both, the Golden Spikes and College Baseball Foundation’s National Pitcher of the Year Awards, Smith has been flooded with numerous preseason accolades.

Junior right-hander Brady Tygart, who finished 3-1 in an injury-plagued 2023, will take the ball for the Razorbacks on Saturday at 2 p.m. Junior lefty Mason Molina, a Texas Tech transfer, will make his Arkansas debut on Sunday at 1 p.m., while freshman left-hander Colin Fisher will start Monday’s finale at noon.

The Razorbacks return a solid core of veterans, while welcoming in the nation’s top freshman class, as well as some key additions from the transfer portal. The Hogs had a disappointing ending in the Fayetteville Regional after posting a 43-18 overall record a year ago and claiming their fourth SEC title. They are the only conference program, and one of just two teams in the country, to win at least 40 games in each of the last six full seasons.

Arkansas enters the season ranked No. 2 by Perfect Game, No. 3 by Baseball America and D1Baseball, and No. 4 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers and the USA TODAY Coaches polls.

Now entering his 22nd season in Fayetteville, Van Horn has never lost a season-opening home series, and has led the Razorbacks to 12 series sweeps on Opening Weekend. Van Horn’s 1,424 overall collegiate wins are the most among all active Division I head coaches. He was won 839 at Arkansas, including 333 SEC wins.

This will mark the first time that Arkansas has met James Madison on the diamond. The Dukes went 31-25 overall last season and finished 15-13 in their first season competing in the Sun Belt Conference.

All four games will be aired on the SEC Network+, and on the radio, along the Razorback Sports Network.

Two Diamond Hogs up for Golden Spikes Award as nation’s best baseball player

Two players up for the Golden Spikes on the Diamond Hogs roster? Man, this team is gonna be good.

Arkansas baseball fans know Hagen Smith quite well. But Wehiwa Aloy? Give it time.

Smith, the Diamond Hogs left-handed ace, and Aloy, Arkansas’ new starting shortstop were each named to the preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award on Friday. The Golden Spikes Award is given nationally to the best amateur baseball player in the country.

Smith’s season was good enough in 2023 to result in his being named a Golden Spikes semifinalist. He finished the season with 109 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings while limiting opponents to a .217 average and carrying a 3.64 earned-run average.

Aloy, who transferred from Sacramento State via the transfer portal in the offseason, was a Freshman All-American after his one season at State. He slashed .376/.427/.662 and had 14 homers and 46 RBI during his Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year season.

Smith and Aloy are among the 55 players who were named to the watch list, which will be trimmed in April, though players can be added to the list early in the season from high performance. The two are also the 14th and 15th players from Arkansas to make the preseason watch list since 2008.

The Diamond Hogs open the season Friday in a four-game set against James Madison.

SEC coaches choose Arkansas to win conference baseball title

Hagen Smith and Kendall Diggs were chosen first-team All-SEC preseason selections, while Hogs picked to win it all.

The SEC’s 14 head baseball coaches have voted Arkansas the favorite to win the conference championship this season, according to the annual preseason poll released Thursday.

Nine of the coaches chose the Razorbacks to win the Western Division and nine also picked the Diamond Hogs to win the overall title, with LSU taking three votes and Florida getting two.

Arkansas junior right-fielder Kendall Diggs and junior starting pitcher Hagen Smith were also named to the Coaches Preseason All-SEC First Team, adding to the program’s already numerous preseason accolades.

After a disappointing early exit from the Fayetteville Regional last May, expectations are soaring for Head Coach Dave Van Horn’s revamped Hogs, as they try to reach the College World Series for the fourth time in six years. Arkansas is ranked No. 2 in the Perfect Game Preseason Top 25, and No. 3 in the D1Baseball and Baseball America polls.

The Razorbacks welcome back a solid core of veterans, but have also added the the nation’s top recruiting class, as well as a few key weapons from the transfer portal.

Diggs looks to bring stability to the lineup after slashing .299/.436/.547 last season, with 12 home runs, and team highs with 63 runs batted in and 46 walks, over 58 games. The Olathe, Kan., native, was rewarded with All-SEC second-team honors as designated hitter/utility player.

The highly-touted Smith comes in as one of the top pitchers in the country after being named a consensus All-American last season. The big 6-foot-3 lefty made 18 appearances a year ago, with 11 starts and an 8-2 record. He led the team with a 3.64 ERA, and 109 strikeouts in 71.2 innings of work during his outstanding sophomore campaign. He also recorded two saves in relief, and held opposing hitters to a .217 batting average.

Smith was a semifinalist for last year’s Golden Spikes Award and the College Baseball Foundation’s National Pitcher of the Year Award, and has already been named to numerous preseason All-American lists.

Arkansas opens the season at Baum-Walker Stadium on Feb. 16, hosting James Madison in the first of a four-game series.

2024 SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll

Eastern Division

  1. Florida (11) – 88
  2. Tennessee (2) – 75
  3. Vanderbilt (1) – 73
  4. South Carolina – 50
  5. Kentucky – 44
  6. Georgia – 36
  7. Missouri – 19

Western Division

  1. Arkansas (9) – 87
  2. LSU (5) – 82
  3. Texas A&M – 68
  4. Alabama – 47
  5. Auburn – 46
  6. Ole Miss – 32
  7. Mississippi State – 23

SEC Champion: Arkansas (9), LSU (3), Florida (2)

(x) = First place votes

2024 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team

First Team
C: Cole Messina, South Carolina
1B: Jac Caglianone, Florida
2B: Cade Kurland, Florida
3B: Tommy White, LSU
SS: Colby Shelton, Florida
OF: Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M
OF: Ethan Petry, South Carolina
OF: Kendall Diggs, Arkansas
DH/UTL: Ike Irish, Auburn
SP: Hagen Smith, Arkansas
SP: Drew Beam, Tennessee
RP: Brandon Neely, Florida

Second Team
C: Devin Burkes, Kentucky
1B: Charlie Condon, Georgia
2B: Christian Moore, Tennessee
3B: Billy Amick, Tennessee
SS: Jonathan Vastine, Vanderbilt
OF: Braden Montgomery, Texas A&M
OF: Dakota Jordan, Mississippi State
OF: Bobby Peirce, Auburn
DH/UTL: Hayden Travinski, LSU
SP: Jac Caglianone, Florida
SP: Carter Holton, Vanderbilt
RP: Alton Davis II, Alabama