Arkansas ace Hagen Smith was selected fifth overall by the Chicago White Sox in the 2024 MLB Draft, becoming the 10th Razorback to be chosen in the first round and the highest-drafted pitcher in program history.
FORT WORTH, Texas – Arkansas ace Hagen Smith was selected fifth overall by the Chicago White Sox in the 2024 MLB Draft, becoming the 10th Razorback to be chosen in the first round and the highest-drafted pitcher in program history.
Smith, the second pitcher and first left-handed pitcher taken in this year’s draft, is the first Arkansas player to be selected in the first round since outfielder Heston Kjerstad was picked second overall by the Baltimore Orioles in 2020, as well as the first Razorback pitcher to be drafted in the first round since right-hander Ryne Stanek went 29th overall to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013. Smith is Arkansas’ third top-five overall draft selection and fifth top-10 overall draft pick in history, joining infielder Jeff King (1st overall, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1986), Kjerstad (2020), outfielder Kevin McReynolds (6th overall, San Diego Padres, 1981) and outfielder Andrew Benintendi (7th overall, Boston Red Sox, 2015).
With his fifth overall selection, Smith surpassed left-hander Nick Schmidt, taken 23rd overall by the Padres in 2007, to become the highest-drafted pitcher in Arkansas history. Smith is the fourth Razorback pitcher to be selected in the first round, joining right-hander David Walling (27th overall, New York Yankees, 1999), Schmidt (2007) and Stanek (2013).
Smith, the 260th overall MLB draft selection in Arkansas history and the 137th overall MLB draft pick in the Dave Van Horn era, is the 20th overall Razorback pitcher selected and the 15th Razorback pitcher taken in the first 10 rounds of the draft since 2019, Matt Hobbs’ first season as pitching coach. In that span, Arkansas has had more pitchers selected in the MLB draft (20) than any program in the country, including a nation-leading 15 pitchers taken in the first 10 rounds.
The junior hurler will depart Arkansas as the most accomplished pitcher in program history. A unanimous first-team All-American and the sixth two-time All-American in school history, Smith was crowned the National Pitcher of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings, College Baseball Foundation and Perfect Game in addition to finishing as a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy following his record-setting 2024 campaign.
Smith was unquestionably the best pitcher in college baseball this past year, concluding the season with a 9-2 record, 2.04 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 84.0 innings over 16 starts. Named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year after going 7-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 60.0 innings over 10 SEC starts on the mound, Smith led the country with an NCAA-record 17.25 strikeouts per nine innings and finished ranked first nationally in batting average against (.144) and hits allowed per nine innings (4.39), second in strikeouts (161), fourth in ERA (2.04) and seventh in WHIP (0.89).
The Bullard, Texas, native posted a team-leading 11 quality starts and logged a program-record 11 double-digit strikeout games on the year, becoming the program’s all-time career strikeout king and single-season strikeout leader during his historic 2024 season. Smith, who increased his career strikeout total to 360, overtook Schmidt (345) for sole possession of Arkansas’ career strikeout mark in addition to surpassing Walling’s single-season strikeout record of 155 set in 1999 to move atop the program’s single-season strikeout leaderboard (161).
In one of the greatest pitching performances in program history, Smith tied Arkansas’ single-game record with his 17-strikeout gem on 78 pitches over six shutout innings against Oregon State on Feb. 23 in the Kubota College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Smith matched Razorback great Jess Todd’s single-game strikeout record (17), doing so in 40 fewer pitches than Todd threw against South Carolina on May 24, 2007, in the SEC Tournament.
First-Round Razorbacks (10)
1981 – OF Kevin McReynolds – 6th overall, San Diego Padres
1986 – SS/3B Jeff King – 1st overall, Pittsburgh Pirates
1999 – RHP Dave Walling – 27th overall, New York Yankees
2007 – LHP Nick Schmidt – 23rd overall, San Diego Padres
2008 – 3B Logan Forsythe – 46th overall, San Diego Padres
2010 – 3B Zack Cox – 25th overall, St. Louis Cardinals
2013 – RHP Ryne Stanek – 29th overall, Tampa Bay Rays
2015 – OF Andrew Benintendi – 7th overall, Boston Red Sox
2020 – OF Heston Kjerstad – 2nd overall, Baltimore Orioles
2024 – LHP Hagen Smith, 5th overall, Chicago White Sox
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