Whether they admit it or not, every pitcher has one goal in mind when they step foot on the mound: throw a no-hitter. It’s one of the most difficult things to accomplish in baseball. Only a select few have realized that dream during their careers, with professional baseball only witnessing 305 no-hitters since the National League was founded in 1876. And for the few who accomplish the feat, the harsh reality is that they might never attain this milestone again.

That would be the case for most — but not for Hagen Smith.

As a high schooler senior down in Bullard, Texas, Smith threw not one, not two, not three, but seven no-hitters, in what can only be described as one of the most incredible seasons in high school baseball history for the Bullard Panthers. It was a sign of things to come for the southpaw, who has dominated and kept a simple, grounded philosophy when taking the mound.

“Just go out there and compete,” Smith says about his approach. “That’s what’s going to get you a long way, just going out there and competing to the best of your abilities and having fun.

His game speaks for itself. While posting a batting average of .349 as a team’s starting pitcher is phenomenal, his pitching stats are where he drops jaws.

Smith led Bullard to a 22-6 record (9-0 in district play) on the season, ranking the squad 22nd in the state of Texas. In 73 innings on the mound for the Panthers, Smith etched himself in baseball history. En route to a 7-0 victory over Sunnyvale in the second round of the UIL 4A playoffs, the lefty ace secured his seventh no-hitter of the season (tying the Texas high school record), and struck out a whopping 18 of 25 batters faced.

Taking a deeper dive into his mind-boggling statistics from that season, Smith went a perfect 11-0. He threw nine complete games, allowing just seven hits in 73 full innings. He struck out 168 batters and recorded double digit strikeouts in all 12 games he pitched, posted a 0.19 ERA, and held opposing batters to a .035 batting average. Safe to say, Smith was destined for greatness.

The next three years of his baseball career would be spent in Fayetteville, Arkansas, pitching for one of the premier college baseball programs, the Arkansas Razorbacks. There, he relished the opportunity to play in front of the Razorback faithful.

“When you drive up to the stadium, people are lined up to get in the hog pen, and driving past that every game and seeing the people there was really cool.”

As a freshman for the Hogs, Smith quickly emerged as the No. 2 pitcher on the roster. In 20 appearances, he went 7-2 with a 4.66 ERA, 90 strikeouts, and two saves across 77.1 innings as a part of the 2022 Arkansas Razorbacks team that made an appearance in the College World Series. Starting for the Hogs in a 3-2 win over SEC opponent Ole Miss on the biggest stage, Smith completed five full innings and struck out eight Rebels. His promising first year earned him an invite to the Collegiate National Team (CNT) Training Camp.

In his sophomore season, Smith began to assert himself amongst the league’s best. As the Razorbacks’ ace, he posted an 8-2 record and dropped his ERA down to a 3.64 while striking out 109 batters in 71.2 innings. His dominant performances on the mound earned him countless honors, including All-SEC First Team and a spot on the Golden Spikes Award semifinalist list. After the season concluded, he received his second invite to the CNT Training Camp, and had the opportunity to don the red, white, and blue alongside college baseball’s top non-draft eligible players.

“You always want to wear that jersey,” Smith said. “It was a really cool experience for me to be able to meet the guys that I play against, and now looking back at those memories wearing the [USA] uniform it was just awesome.”

Smith and the 2023 Collegiate National Team competed against Chinese Taipei and Japan in two respective five-game series, with Team USA going 7-3. As a relief pitcher, Hagen appeared in three games for the team, posting a 1.59 ERA across 5.2 innings. He allowed just two hits, one walk, and one earned run while notching six strikeouts and holding opposing batters to a .105 average.

Despite performing well for the red, white, and blue, the true value of that summer was in the unique challenge of the matchups. For a kid from Texas, the opportunity to compete against top global talent was an unforgettable experience.

“It was really cool honestly playing against different types of players,” Smith said. “You never really play against people like that growing up, so playing against Chinese Taipei and Japan’s [national teams] was incredible. It was great competing against them.”

That summer under the global spotlight set the stage for a legendary encore. Returning to Arkansas for his junior year, Smith took the lessons learned on the international stage and channeled them into a historic 2024 season — one that would cement his legacy in Razorback history.

However, his junior season wouldn’t start the way Smith had hoped for. In the season opener against James Madison, Arkansas’ ace for the second-straight season didn’t last long on the mound. Despite only lasting one inning and allowing three runs, the Hogs went on to beat the Dukes 6-4, but the rough outing resonated on Smith’s mind up until his next start.

Every legendary season has a defining moment, and Smith’s came just a week later against No. 7 Oregon State. Coming off a rare, highly frustrating outing the week prior, he returned to his home state of Texas and completely dismantled one of the best lineups in the country.

“When I struck out 17 [batters] against Oregon State, that was my favorite moment for sure after having a bad outing the week prior.”

The Razorbacks captured a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Beavers, fueled by a historic night from Smith. By striking out 17 of 22 batters, Arkansas' ace set a personal collegiate high and recorded the most strikeouts of any Division I pitcher during the 2024 season — a performance that instantly catapulted him into the national spotlight.

Arkansas went on to host a regional after a 43-14 season, but failed to advance to super regionals. Though the season didn’t end the way the Razorbacks had hoped for, it was nothing short of phenomenal, especially for Smith. His 2024 season resume included being named a Golden Spikes Award Finalist, unanimous National Pitcher of the Year, First Team All-American, and SEC Pitcher of the Year while leading the nation in K/9 at a stellar rate of 17.25. As for Arkansas history, Smith became the program’s all-time strikeout leader (360), and single-season strikeout holder with 161 in 2024.

While the record books and trophy cases will forever hold the tangible proof of his historic season, the impact of Smith’s achievements was evident on Friday nights in Fayetteville. For Smith, cementing his legacy as a Razorback meant performing in front of one of the most passionate environments in college sports.

“Baseball is a big part of the school, so every time you play knowing everybody is watching you, it feels like the whole state is watching you. It’s awesome to be able to play in front of tens of thousands of people.”

Everything he had done in his career had prepared him for the next and biggest opportunity of his baseball career — Major League Baseball. After being selected fifth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox, Smith has taken the bull by the horns and maintained his high-level of pitching.

It only took three starts for Smith to be called up from the Winston-Salem Dash (High-A) to the Birmingham Barons (Double-A) where he spent the entire 2025 season. For the Barons, Smith started in 20 games, and pitched 75.2 innings. He went 3-3 on the season with a 3.57 ERA and 108 strikeouts, holding opposing batters to a .166 average.

His successful first full year in the minors propelled him to a Charlotte Knights (Triple-A) assignment to begin 2026. Despite being one call away from the majors, Smith’s performance hasn’t waivered. In 13 starts for the Knights, Smith has recorded 72 strikeouts (most in Triple-A through June 7), a 3.78 ERA, and a K/9 of 13.59 across 47.2 innings. Smith has particularly fared well since the start of June. In nine full innings, the Knights’ starter has thrown 18 punchouts while allowing just one run in two appearances.

All the while, the Chicago White Sox are playing great baseball, comfortably in the top half of the league and only a few games back of first place in the AL Central. It is undoubtedly a stunning turnaround for a club that has strung together three consecutive 100+ loss seasons, and the excitement is undeniable. The pieces appear to be falling into place in Chicago and Smith is awaiting his call to help push them over the top.

“It would mean everything, they’re [White Sox] playing really good baseball right now, and everybody wants to go out there and help them compete and that's my goal,” Smith said. “Whenever that time comes, it comes, but I want to get there and help them compete any way I can.”

Stepping onto a big-league field for the first time is a universal dream for every baseball player — and for Smith, that moment may be right around the corner. If his track record is any indication, then Southside fans should get their K signs ready.