On Friday, August 8, the number one-ranked 2027 high school pitcher in Kansas, Kam Smith, announced his commitment to Arkansas on his X account.
The right-hander is the first member of the Razorbacks’ 2027 high school recruiting class.
Smith sat down with World Baseball Network to discuss why he chose Arkansas during his recruiting process.
“Deep down, I always knew I was going to Arkansas,” Smith said. “It’s really close to home, about an hour and 40 minutes, basically just highway driving. I got to experience Fayetteville, Baum–Walker Stadium, and the environment—you can’t even really describe it. The atmosphere, the fans, the stadium, the facility—it’s amazing.”
Smith’s Love for the Lineage of Arkansas Pitchers
The Kansas right-hander talked about the many different pitchers at Arkansas he loved in the past, such as Ben Bybee and Dylan Carter.
Gabe Gaeckle was one of these pitchers who stood out to Smith. He is someone the class of 2027 pitcher models his game after and compares himself to.
“I saw him [Gaeckle] last fall when they played Oklahoma State in a fall game, and he was electric,” Smith said. “I like to think I pitch a little like him—different mechanics, but similar stuff: really good breaking ball, really good fastball.”
Kansas 3A Pitcher of the Year at Girard High School
Smith put up video-game numbers in his latest season at Girard High School. In 39 2/3 innings of work, he had 71 strikeouts.
This rightfully led to him winning the Pitcher of the Year award in Kansas at the 3A high school level.
Smith discussed what went into him doing so well for Girard this past season.
“I gained about 20 pounds of muscle and developed a mindset that if I’m working this hard every day, why can’t I just go out and dominate?”
Smith added, “that carried into my pitching this year and summer. The results came because I loved the work—those offseason days were probably my favorite time of the year.”
CLICK HERE to watch the full interview with the number one-ranked pitcher in Kansas and 2027 Arkansas commit, Kam Smith.
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Photo Courtesy of Kam Smith on X
