BULLARD, Texas — One East Texan is headed to the Chicago White Sox.
Bullard's Hagen Smith was selected by the Chicago White Sox with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Smith, a starting pitcher out of the University of Arkansas, was named the National Pitcher of the Year and a finalist for the Golden Spikes award which goes to the top amateur baseball player in the United States.
"He just wanted to play in the Major Leagues, and everyone would asked him, Where do you want to play? He would say, I just want to pitch," April Smith, Hagen's mother said. "I've always taught you know both of my kiddos just to be humble and be kind and just live your dream. You know, do what you were born to do. And this is it. This is what he was born to do."
Smith's journey to the big leagues has not always been easy. When Smith was a high school junior, he suffered an injury and had to have Tommy John surgery.
"So that was tough. I think he kind of got down a little bit when he found out he was gonna have to have surgery but then he just just kept going. He never stopped. He, rehabbed like he was supposed to and he came back even stronger," April Smith said.
In his senior season at Bullard, Smith tied a Texas state record with eight no-hitters. His performance led him to Arkansas and the rest is history.
"Unmatched strikeout stuff? A fastball that touches triple digits? A wipeout slider? Hagen Smith has it all. An elite left-handed pitching prospect in the 2024 Draft class, Smith has all the tools to be a top-flight starter in the Major Leagues," MLB writer Theo DeRosa said.
In his last season at Arkansas, Smith started 16 games for the Razorbacks and finished the season with a 9-2 win-loss record.
Smith is Arkansas' all-time career strikeout leader (360), 161 of which came in the 2024 season. He finished the season with a 2.04 ERA.