The SEC Tournament often throws some wrinkles at teams, as starting rotations are shaken up due to the scheduling of the tournament. Arkansas ace Hagen Smith got the ball on Thursday and didn’t have his usual stuff.
Smith pitched for just two innings, giving up two runs on two hits in a 9-6 loss to Kentucky that eliminated Arkansas from the SEC Tournament.
“I think probably a little amped up, leaving some things up,” coach Dave Van Horn said. “Fastball up and just not real sharp. I think he got a little frustrated.”
When Smith exited the game, the Wildcats held a 2-0 lead on the Razorbacks. They’d extend it considerably in the middle innings, staying in command throughout the game.
Despite the fact that Smith wasn’t razor sharp, Van Horn didn’t seem overly concerned. And in different circumstances he might have left Smith out there to work through his issues.
“But that’s about what we wanted him to throw right there, 35, 40 pitches and two to three innings max,” Van Horn said. “And we just thought, hey, that’s enough. Give him a little opportunity to have a couple days rest more than normal leading into next weekend.”
On3’s Jonathan Wagner currently has Arkansas as a national seed in his latest Field of 64 projections and one of the top eight, at that. He has the Razorbacks as the No. 5 overall seed, set to host a regional.
Smith will be a huge part of that as the team’s ace.
The junior left-hander was a first-team All-American a year ago as a sophomore. He’s been even better as a junior.
Through 15 starts, Smith has a 1.48 ERA. He has thrown 79.0 innings worth of action and has struck out 154 while walking just 30. He has given up only 13 earned runs all year.
When the NCAA Tournament comes around, don’t expect to see the SEC Tournament version of Smith.
“Hagen’s Hagen,” Van Horn said. “He’s good. He’ll be ready to go.”
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