Last night the University of Arkansas took on Oregon State. Arkansas is the second-ranked college baseball team in the country while Oregon State is the seventh-ranked team in the country. They are taking part in the College Baseball Series which features Arkansas, Oregon State, Oklahoma State, and Michigan. This game featured some prospects to keep your eyes on for the MLB Draft with names such as 2B Travis Bazzana who is the third-ranked prospect for the draft playing for Oregon State, and Hagen Smith who plays for Arkansas and is the 15th-ranked prospect for the draft.
Bazzana last night went 1-4 with a run scored but he struck out three times. The real story of the night was Hagen Smith, Smith is the Friday night starter for Arkansas which translates to he is their ace, and last night he made his second start of the season. In his last outing, he went one inning giving up three runs on one hit; he walked two and struck out two. Last night was a different story as Hagen struck 17 of the 22 batters he faced. He went six innings, and did not give up a run on three hits; he walked one and recorded those 17 strikeouts.
Hagen Smith College Career
Smith has made 40 appearances with 28 of those coming as starts going 15-4 with a 4.15 ERA, 218 strikeouts in 156 innings. Smith on the latest mock drafts is expected to be selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 12th overall pick. That may change as the season progresses and players will see their stock rise or fall.
Game Recap
This may go down as the game of the year between Oregon State and Arkansas. It was a scoreless game through 4.5 innings as Smith for Arkansas and Aiden May for Oregon State were locked in on a pitchers dual. Arkansas broke through in the Bottom of the Fifth with the bases loaded and two outs Razorbacks first baseman Ben McLaughlin cleared them with a double to make it 3-0 Arkansas. The Razorbacks would tack on another run in the Bottom of the Sixth when left fielder Jayson Jones would single home a run to make it 4-0 Arkansas. In the Top of the Seventh with Smith now out of the game Oregon State would get on the board when Dallas Macias doubled home a run, then Tanner Smith would end up driving home Macias with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2 Arkansas. Oregon State would tie the game up in the Top of the Eighth when first baseman Mason Guerra hit a two-run home run to make it 4-4. Arkansas would strike back in the bottom half of the inning when Peyton Holt tripled to bring home a run and give making it 5-4 Arkansas. In the Top of the Ninth with a runner on and one out, the Razorbacks brought in Jake Flaherty who got the next two outs by way of a strikeout to secure the win 5-4 for Arkansas.
Today continuing in their tournament down at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX. Oregon State will take on Michigan at 1:00 PM EST. Arkansas will take on Oklahoma State at 7:00 PM EST.
