Hagen Smith struck out 161 batters this past season for Arkansas.
The Chicago White Sox hope he becomes the next successful left-hander in the organization after selecting him with the No. 5 pick in Sunday’s Major League Baseball amateur draft.
Smith, 20, went 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA and 34 walks to go with those 161 strikeouts in 16 starts for the Razorbacks.
He had an 8-2 record and 3.64 ERA in 18 outings (11 starts) the previous season, striking out 109 while walking 42 in 71 2/3 innings.
Overall, Smith went 24-6 with a 3.40 ERA, 360 strikeouts and 122 walks in 54 appearances (42 starts) during three seasons for the Razorbacks. He is Arkansas’ career strikeout leader.
Smith, who had Tommy John surgery as a 16-year-old in 2019, also threw seven no-hitters as a high school senior in Bullard, Texas.
It’s the second straight year the Sox have drafted a player from the SEC in the first round. Last year, they took shortstop Jacob Gonzalez from Mississippi.
And it’s the third time in the last five years the Sox selected a left-handed pitcher in the first round. They drafted All-Star Garrett Crochet at No. 11 in 2020 and Noah Schultz from Oswego East at No. 26 in 2022.
Smith was the first of three picks Sunday for the Sox, who also drafted at No. 43 and No. 68.