How good is Hogs pitching? Three different Razorbacks named to Stopper of the Year watch list
The Arkansas baseball team entered the 2024 banking its pitching staff. Considering the Diamond Hogs spent more than a month at No. 1 and are now No. 2 in the nation, the bet was smart.
And it isn’t just Hagen Smith for the Razorbacks, either, though he is a front-runner for first-team All-American honors and is on a short list of Golden Spikes possibilities. No, the arms behind him are getting things done, too.
Arkansas relievers Will McEntire, Gabe Gaeckle and Stone Hewlett were each named to the midseason watch list for college baseball’s Stopper of the Year. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association gives the award to the top reliever in the game each year.
Gaeckle carries a 2.81 earned-run average and 0.86 WHIP in 25 2/3 innings. McEntire has 53 strikeouts and a 1.05 WHIP in 42 innings. And Hewlett, the lefty specialist, has a 0.70 WHIP in 10 innings.
Arkansas is tops in the SEC in team ERA by almost a whole run, tops in opposing batting average by 20 points, strikeouts by almost 30 and lead in fewest doubles and fewest home runs allowed.
