Smith Named SEC Pitcher of the Week

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – For the second time this season, Arkansas ace Hagen Smith is the SEC Pitcher of the Week.

The junior left-hander, who shared this week’s honor with Texas A&M pitcher Justin Lamkin, fired six scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts, his fourth double-digit strikeout game of the season, to improve to 4-0 and log his team-leading fourth quality start of the year in the Razorbacks’ series-opening 1-0 shutout road win against top-25 ranked Auburn.

With his 12-strikeout effort, Smith raised his career total to 261 to move into a tie for fourth on Arkansas’ all-time career strikeouts list. The junior left-hander allowed just three hits and two walks in his dominant outing against the Tigers.

For the season, the Bullard, Texas, native has a 1.24 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 29.0 innings and has held opposing hitters to a .116 batting average. Over his last five starts, Smith boasts a minuscule 0.32 ERA to go along with 60 strikeouts.

Smith, who was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week (Week 2) for the first time in his career after his 17-strikeout performance against nationally ranked Oregon State on Feb. 23 in the Kubota College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field earlier this season, is the first Razorback pitcher to earn multiple SEC Pitcher of the Week honors in a season since Kevin Kopps accomplished the feat. Kopps earned the conference’s top weekly honor twice during his historic 2021 campaign.

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