Smith Picks Up SEC Pitcher of the Year Honors

Razorbacks' ace becomes third in program history to pick up conference's highest pitching award

Arkansas Razorbacks pitcher Hagen Smith greets catcher Hudson White coming to the dugout after the first inning against Mississippi State. / Andy Hodges-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas starter Hagen Smith became the third Razorback in program history to pick up SEC Pitcher of the Year honors, joining Nick Schmidt (2006) and Kevin Kopps (2021). He also was the only Hog to pick up First-Team All-SEC honors.

Smith finished the regular season 9-0 with a 1.52 ERA (No.1 in the country) across 77 innings of work and 149 strikeouts. After passing Schmidt for the most strikeouts in Razorback history with a 14-strikeout performance against Texas A&M, he is now just six strikeouts away from breaking David Walling's record for single-season strikeouts (155).

Smith has started all 14 games he has appeared in and struck out at least 10 hitters in 11 of his 14 starts. He allowed one earned run or fewer in nine starts and carried the Hogs to a 13-1 record when on the mound. The lone loss was a no-decision in a 1-0 defeat by the Aggies in 11 innings after Smith pitched six shutout innings. His ERA of 1.35 in SEC play is also almost nearly a full earned run better than second (Evan Aschenbeck 2.19, Texas A&M).

Arkansas will play in the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama where the Razorbacks enter as the No. 2 seed and await the winner of No. 7 Alabama vs. No.10 South Carolina. The Razorbacks' first game is scheduled for Wednesday morning. The Hogs will be play 30 minutes after the conclusion of No. 3 Kentucky vs. the winner of No. 6 Georgia/No.11 LSU. Both games will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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