#3 Arkansas Concludes Regular Season at #5 Texas A&M with SEC Western Division Title at Stake
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The race for the SEC Western Division title comes down to the final weekend.
Division leader No. 3 Arkansas (42-10, 19-8 SEC) takes its two-game lead on the road this weekend to No. 5 Texas A&M (42-10, 17-10 SEC) to conclude the 2024 regular season. First pitch in the series opener between the Hogs and Aggies is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 16, on ESPN2 with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Kyle Peterson (analyst) on the call.
The Razorbacks are seeking their fifth divisional crown in the last six full seasons. Arkansas has won the SEC Western Division title eight times, including seven times – 2004, 2007, 2011, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023 – in the Dave Van Horn era.
Schedule
Thursday, May 16
#3 Arkansas vs. #5 Texas A&M – 7 p.m. – ESPN2 – Listen – Live Stats
Friday, May 17
#3 Arkansas vs. #5 Texas A&M – 7 p.m. – SEC Network – Listen – Live Stats
Saturday, May 18
#3 Arkansas vs. #5 Texas A&M – 2 p.m. – SEC Network – Listen – Live Stats
On the Mound
Thursday, May 16
Arkansas – LHP Hagen Smith (9-0, 1.65 ERA)
Texas A&M – LHP Ryan Prager (8-1, 2.71 ERA)
Friday, May 17
Arkansas – RHP Gage Wood (3-1, 3.03 ERA)
Texas A&M – TBA
Saturday, May 18
Arkansas – TBA
Texas A&M – LHP Shane Sdao (4-1, 2.03 ERA)
Tune In
Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Kyle Peterson (analyst) will have the call of all three nationally televised games between third-ranked Arkansas and fifth-ranked Texas A&M. Thursday night’s series opener in Bryan-College Station will air on ESPN2, while Friday and Saturday’s ballgames will broadcast on SEC Network.
The weekend series can also be heard on the Razorback Sports Network from Learfield, including locally in Fayetteville on 92.1 FM or through the Razorback app, with Phil Elson on the call. A full list of radio affiliates is available here.
History Lesson
Arkansas maintains a 50-47 overall series record against Texas A&M, including a 22-23 record in games played in Bryan-College Station. Under head coach Dave Van Horn, the Hogs are 22-15 overall and 7-9 on the road against the Aggies.
Since 2017, Arkansas is 13-7 overall against Texas A&M. The Razorbacks, however, have lost each of their last two weekend series in Bryan-College Station and are seeking their first road series win against the Aggies since 2017.
Title Talk
The Razorbacks enter the final weekend of the regular season seeking their fifth divisional crown in the last six full seasons. Arkansas, which has won the SEC Western Division title eight times in program history, including seven times – 2004, 2007, 2011, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023 – under head coach Dave Van Horn, has a two-game lead over Texas A&M in the SEC Western Division standings and can clinch the division outright with one win in this weekend’s series.
Arkansas is one game behind Kentucky and tied with Tennessee for second in the SEC overall standings. The Hogs have won the SEC overall title four times – 1999, 2004, 2021, 2023 – in school history, including three times in the DVH era.
It Just Means More Wins
Arkansas is 19-8 through 27 games of league play, which is tied for its second-best 27-game SEC mark in school history. The Hogs have gone 19-8 through 27 SEC games three times – 2019, 2021, 2024 – since joining the conference in 1992.
With one win this weekend, the Razorbacks can clinch their fifth 20-win SEC season in school history. Arkansas has finished with 20-plus SEC victories four times – 1999 (22), 2019 (20), 2021 (22), 2023 (20) – since joining the league.
The Best Pitcher in College Baseball
Arkansas ace Hagen Smith, slated to take the mound in the series opener against Texas A&M, has made his case as the best pitcher in college baseball. The junior left-hander is 9-0 with a 1.65 ERA and 136 strikeouts in 71.0 innings over 13 starts this season. Smith, who is 7-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 54.0 innings through nine SEC starts, has a team-leading 10 quality starts and 10 double-digit strikeout games, a single-season program record, this year.
Entering Thursday, Smith leads the nation in ERA (1.65), hits allowed per nine innings (4.2) and strikeouts per nine (17.2). The Bullard, Texas, native is third nationally in strikeouts (136), seventh in WHIP (0.87) and eighth in victories (9).
Arkansas is a perfect 13-0 this season with Smith on the mound, and the Hogs’ pitching staff leads the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (6.9) and strikeouts per nine innings (12.2) and is second nationally in ERA (3.46), second in WHIP (1.19), third in shutouts (6) and fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.5).
Smith has recorded 335 career strikeouts in 220.0 innings of work. His 335 career punchouts rank second on Arkansas’ career strikeouts list, and he is just 10 strikeouts shy of matching Nick Schmidt (345) for first in program history.
Career Strikeouts
1. 345 – Nick Schmidt (2003-06)
2. 335 – Hagen Smith (2022-present)
3. 301 – Matt Carnes (1979-82)
4. 283 – David Walling (1998-99)
5. 261 – Scott Tabor (1979-82)
6. 244 – Blaine Knight (2016-18)
7. 232 – Kevin Kopps (2017-21)
8. 229 – Charley Boyce (2003-06)
9. 225 – Gerald Hannahs (1971-74)
10. 224 – Isaiah Campbell (2016-19)
For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).
