Smith Claims Numerous National Honors after 17-Strikeout Game
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith has been named the National Pitcher of the Week by D1Baseball, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Perfect Game after his historic 17-strikeout performance against Oregon State on Feb. 23 in the Kubota College Baseball Series.
The Razorback ace’s 17-strikeout game was also earned performance of the week honors from the Golden Spikes Award, which is presented annually to the best amateur baseball player in the nation.
Perfect Game/Pitcher of the Week:
Hagen Smith, ArkansasDominating, overwhelming, masterful; you could go on and on with adjectives to describe the outing that Smith put together in his start on Friday. Facing one of the most complete offenses in all of college baseball in the Oregon State Beavers, the 6-3/225 junior lefthander put together one of the most epic starts in recent memory. Using his lively fastball that sat in the upper-90s and peaked at 99 mph, he attacked hitters with the heater and set the stage for his wipeout slider. The fastball is elite in both velocity and spin (2,400+) RPMs but the slider proved to be virtually untouchable as it cruised in the mid-to-upper 80s with late, abrupt bite. The Bullard, TX native would retire the first 15 outs of the game via the strike out and except for a ground out in the 6th inning, 17 of his 18 outs were recorded by punch out. Smith would only need 78 pitches to navigate his 6.0 IP, allowing 3 hits, no runs, 1 walk to go with his 17 strike outs. He would leave the game leading 4-0 but ended up with a no-decision as the Beavers put up some runs later in the game. The Razorbacks look like true national title contenders and it’s obvious they have an ace to run out every Friday night going forward.
Smith, who was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career as a result of the performance, struck out 17 batters during his 78-pitch, six-inning gem against the seventh-ranked Beavers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. He tied Jess Todd’s program record for strikeouts in a single game, doing so in 40 fewer pitches than Todd threw against South Carolina on May 24, 2007, in the SEC Tournament.
The Bullard, Texas, native allowed just three hits and issued only one walk, recording 15 consecutive outs via strikeout to begin the ballgame. His 17-strikeout performance on the mound was also a Globe Life Field single-game record.
Smith last earned national weekly award recognition as a true freshman in 2022, when he was named the National Pitcher of the Week by the College Baseball Foundation after he allowing two hits and striking out seven in a a seven-inning start against LSU in 2022.
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