In Season Of Fiery Arms, Hometown Pitcher May Be Razorbacks' Key Arm
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Nine scouts from MLB teams came to see Hagen Smith's most recent outing. Smith, Brady Tygart and Mason Molina are all on Joe Doyle's top 200 MLB Draft prospects for the class of 2024.
Will McEntire's name is not on that list, but with his 6-foot, 4-inch frame and a cutter as his bread-and-butter pitch, the Bryant native might just be coach Dave Van Horn's most reliable arm on staff.
"Will is always throwing the ball 89, 90, 91 miles an hour," Van Horn said. "He throws a really good cutter and he’ll spin a breaking ball on you. He just keeps wanting the baseball."
McEntire has been used as just about everything the past two seasons. He was the Saturday starter on an injury-ravaged staff last year, tossing a three-hit complete game against Louisiana Tech on just 97 pitches.
This season, Van Horn has already asked McEntire to fill multiple roles out of the bullpen. He leads the team in innings (252/3) and is tied for first with Koty Frank in appearances (nine). His appearances have ranged from one inning to 52/3. When Smith struggled in the cold on opening day against James Madison, McEntire saved the pitching staff. Van Horn brings the righty in to start a clean inning or with traffic on the bases. McEntire has stranded all five runners that he has inherited.
"I bet as a pitcher I probably should not say I enjoy guys on, McEntire said. "I kinda enjoy the pressure of it."
It's that mentality that makes McEntire priceless to a pitching staff loaded with sizzling arms with mid to high-90s fastballs. Even the number one team in the country, absent a run rule, needs 27 outs to win the game.
"I kinda just go until I’m told that I’m not going any longer," McEntire said. "I really enjoy coming out of the pen just cause you don’t really know when you’ll come in so you've just got to be in the moment."
McEntire hasn't just been throwing a lot of innings. He's been both efficient and effective. McEntire ranks first on the team in walks allowed (three), third in ERA only behind Tygart and Smith (1.75) and fourth in strikeouts (27).
The scouts may be here to see the starters and their blazing fastballs, but for fans of the program who yearn for the elusive national title, nothing should bring a smile to their face more than when McEntire runs out of the bullpen to Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack" with his cutter.
The Razorbacks hit the road for the first time in SEC play against Auburn Thursday at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network and fuboTV.
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