Jim Schlossnagle offers lofty praise for Hagen Smith, shares keys to finding success

As Texas A&M gets ready for an important series against Arkansas, the Aggies faced a tall task in Game 1 Thursday night after a weather delay. Hagen Smith took the mount for the Razorbacks, bringing his Division I-leading 1.65 ERA with him.

Smith has been a nightmare for opposing hitters this year and enters the series as MLB.com’s No. 6 overall prospect and No. 1-ranked pure pitcher. He continued that dominance in a big way to start Thursday’s series opener as the rain fell in College Station, holding Texas A&M scoreless and allowing just two hits while striking out 14 Aggies.

To Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle, Smith’s season is among the best he’s seen from a left-hander. But he also broke down a key to potentially find success against one of the game’s top arms.

“I was just saying in the dugout, I don’t remember – 35 years, I’ve faced plenty of really good lefties, but I don’t remember a starter with this kind of arm,” Schlossnagle said on the ESPN2 broadcast. “That last pitch to [Hayden] Schott, holy cow. That shouldn’t be legal.

“But I think it’s just a matter of, especially the right-handed hitters, you’ve got to be able to lay off the pitch. [Gavin] Grahovac swung at a ball four, [Jackson] Appell swung at a ball four. Easier said than done, but you’ve just got to get him on the plate.”

Smith’s numbers this year have been nothing short of impressive, entering Thursday’s game with a perfect 9-0 record in 13 starts to go with 136 strikeouts – including a program-record 17 Ks against Oklahoma State earlier this month, which tied the previous mark. He added to that total with 14 strikeouts against Texas A&M, giving him 150 across 77 innings this season.

He’s drawn high praise from plenty of coaches across the country this year. That includes Arkansas’ last opponent, Mississippi State.

“They can really pitch. They arguably have maybe the best pitcher in the country with Hagen Smith,” Bulldogs head coach Chris Lemonis said. “All three of their starters are really good and they pitch good at the back end. I’m sure they’re very comfortable pitching at home. It’s a veteran offensive group that has won a lot of games. They know how to play winning baseball.

“They can move the ball. They got some guys that can hit it out the park. They play really good defense. They play winning baseball.”