Diamond Hogs lost two of their final three series but finished the season top-five in the nation. One of the biggest reasons Arkansas accomplished that was Hagan Smith. On Monday, the conference named him SEC pitcher of the year.
Smith is just the third Razorback in history awarded the honor. The other two were Nick Schmidt in 2006 and Kevin Kopps in 2021. Smith was 9-0 this season with one game undecided. Arkansas's only loss with Smith as the starting pitcher was last Friday against Texas A&M.
In his game against the Aggies, Smith solidified his place in the record books with the most strikeouts as a Razorback. His journey started with a 17-strikeout performance against Oregon State at the beginning of this year and dominated the rest of the schedule, striking out double-digit batters in 11 games. He had only two games with six strikeouts or fewer.
Hagen Smith. SEC Pitcher of the Year. pic.twitter.com/xcwD6lahKS
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 20, 2024
Compared to last season's Pitcher of the Year, Paul Skenes, Smith has performed as well, if not better. Before the SEC Tournament, Skenes averaged 17.1 strikeouts per nine innings with a 1.77 ERA. Smith has averaged 17.5 strikeouts and 1.52 ERA. Smith does have more walks (29) on fewer innings pitched than Skenes (15), but 3.3 walks per nine innings is still elite.
With his numbers so close to last year’s Pitcher of the Year, Smith was the obvious choice this season. Hopefully, the Razorbacks can help extend his new record with postseason success. The Hogs will play in Hoover on Wednesday, May 21, against the winner of the Alabama-South Carolina game today.
Regardless of how the SEC tournament turns out for the Hogs, they will most likely be a national seed — and host a super-regional after that — on their way to Omaha.