Hagen Smith is the record-holder for career strikeouts at Arkansas.
The junior left-hander struck out his 346th batter in the fifth inning vs. Texas A&M on Thursday to surpass previous No. 1 Nick Schmidt, who struck out 345 from 2005-07.
Smith’s strikeout of Aggies shortstop Ali Camarillo was his 11th of the game and 147th of the season.
Smith is climbing the program leaderboard for most strikeouts in a single season, too. He entered Thursday’s game at No. 3 with 136 strikeouts this year and surpassed Schmidt, who was at No. 2 with 145. David Walling is the record-holder with 155 during the 1999 season.
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After finishing his six-inning start against the Aggies with 14 strikeouts, Smith’s season total sits at 150 and his career total at 349.
Smith entered Thursday leading the country in ERA (1.65), strikeouts per nine innings (17.24) and hits allowed per nine innings (4.18).
“He’s been amazing, in one word,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said during the ESPN2 broadcast. “He’s been very consistent. He’s the same every week in his routine to get ready, just very level-headed, very mature. He’s the best I’ve ever had, probably.”
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — First pitch for Thursday’s baseball game between Arkansas and Texas A&M has been postponed until 8 p.m., one hour later than originally scheduled.
Heavy thunderstorms are passing through College Station on Thursday afternoon with more in the forecast into the evening hours.
According to the National Weather Service, the rain is expected to clear the area overnight and the weather will be clear for the final two days of the series Friday and Saturday.
The second-ranked Razorbacks (42-10, 19-8 SEC) have a two-game lead over the fourth-ranked Aggies (42-10, 17-10) entering the series. Arkansas needs one win at Blue Bell Park to win the SEC West, while Texas A&M must sweep the three-game series to win the division.
Arkansas baseball is one win away from clinching a second straight SEC West title.
The No. 2 Razorbacks (42-10, 19-8 SEC) will try to secure the division championship this weekend agains No. 4 Texas A&M (42-10, 17-10). The Aggies could edge Arkansas at the finish line if they were to pull off a three-game sweep.
The Hogs are coming off a series win over Mississippi State. The starting pitching struggled, but two late rallies and a dominant bullpen propelled Arkansas. Still, Dave Van Horn decided to change his weekend rotation in the aftermath.
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More: Arkansas baseball vs. Texas A&M: Scouting report, prediction for top-five SEC showdown
More: ‘They saved us’: Arkansas baseball bullpen lifts Hogs past Mississippi State
Texas A&M has lost back-to-back road series to LSU and Ole Miss, but the Aggies are 30-2 at home this year.
“Probably one of the top two toughest environments to go in and win,” Van Horn said.
Here’s everything you need to know about Arkansas baseball’s road series against Texas A&M including times, TV and streaming info and more:
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Arkansas baseball versus Texas A&M TV schedule:
Game 1: Thursday, May 16, 7 p.m. CT, ESPN2
Game 2: Friday, May 17, 7 p.m. CT, SEC Network
Game 3: Saturday, May 18, 2 p.m. CT, SEC Network
All three games this weekend will be on television, with series opener on ESPN2 and the final two games on SEC Network. A portion of the series was originally only going to be available via stream, but ESPN decided to flex the games into the national spotlight. Fans can also tune in via the ESPN app and FUBO, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
