BASEBALL PREVIEW | OUTFIELD: Josh Hogue is penciled after a strong sophomore year, while freshman Ty Head is oozing with potential

We’re going to be previewing this year’s NC State baseball team by introducing you to the players, position by position. There a lot of newcomers, so we’ll do our best to project where we might see guys and how they’ll fit into the lineup.

Past Previews
CATCHER PREVIEW
1st BASE PREVIEW
SHORTSTOP PREVIEW

OUTFIELD PREVIEW

This year is going to have a whole new look in the outfield, but there will be some stability there with Josh Hogue who will be back from a season-ending injury he suffered last season. Alongside him will be a a couple freshmen and a couple JUCO transfers battling it out for innings.

PROJECTED OUTFIELD STARTER 
Josh Houge | 6’2, 192lbs | Junior
Houge is the one guy that we can go ahead and pencil in as a starter on day 1. He’s coming back after starting 36 games a sophomore before suffering a season-ending injury. He’s got a good stick, hitting .314 with 4 homers and 28 RBIs before his season was cut short.

With a lot of new faces and some unknowns, State is going to rely on Houge to be one of their leaders and anchor this outfield. He’s a good defender, but it’s his bat that is going to be most important for the Pack this season.

POTENTIAL OUTFIELD STARTER 
Jet Gillium | 6’0, 176lbs | Sophomore
Gillium is coming to NC State from the College of Southern Nevada (JUCO), which is where Bryce Harper played for a season before going pro. While there, he started 50 of 51 games, hit an impressive .348, hit 6 HRs and drove in 43 runs. He also stole 14 bases and wasn’t caught once.  He was named 1st team All-Region as a Freshman.

Gillium, coming from a JUCO, has some experience, but how well it translates to the ACC is yet to be seen. That said, NC State is going to need speed and Gilliam has a lot of that. He’s a hard nosed, hustle guy that plays with a reckless abandon. State fans should like this kid a lot.

POTENTIAL OUTFIELD STARTER 
Brayden Fraasman | 6’0, 189lbs | Junior
Fraasman played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Lincoln Trail (JUCO) where h appeared in 51 games both years. He also hit .348 between the two seasons and hit 20 homers over that span. He’s coming in with a .414 OBP which is a pretty elite number, and apparently, he’s got a very disciplined approach. He stole 20 bases over his first two seasons, so this is another guy with some pop and some speed for the Pack.

POTENTIAL OUTFIELD STARTER 
Ty Head | 6-3, 205lbs | Freshman
Head may not start on opening day, but I think he’ll break into the starting lineup at some point this season. The freshman is highly touted, ranking as the 2nd best OF in Florida and 8th best overall. There was concern that he would go straight to the pros, but he’s here at NC State. He’s got above-average bat-speed from the left side and has a nice launch angle, which has scouts projecting him to be a plus-power guy. He’s athletic, running the 60 yard dash in 6.55 and has a cannon, clocked at 88 MPH. He’s giving me Christian Yelich vibes early on.