After losing all three starters, NC State baseball will look to reload its outfield heading into the 2019 campaign. The Pack lost starters Josh McLain, Brett Kinneman and Brock Deatherage to graduation and the MLB draft last year, ending their time with the Wolfpack.
With the Pack beginning the season ranked No. 22 by Collegiate Baseball, the team will have to have consistent production from its young outfield core if it wants to compete in the ACC.
Here’s a breakdown of who the Pack has playing outfield heading into the new season:
Terrell Tatum
While only a sophomore, Tatum is the returning outfielder with the most in-game experience. In 2018, Tatum appeared in 45 games and started 22 of those as a designated hitter. His season highlights consisted of an eight-game hitting streak and an impressive 3-for-3 hitting performance against ACC foe Notre Dame. Tatum finished his season batting .271 with nine stolen bases for the Pack, and will look to build upon an impressive freshman campaign heading into the new season.
Lawson McArthur
Tatum may be the returning outfielder with the most in-game experience, but McArthur has spent the most time in the program. The junior from Charlotte has appeared in 41 games total for the Wolfpack. McArthur mainly saw action as a pinch runner in 2018, but looks to have an increased role in 2019.
Thayer Thomas
Many Wolfpack fans will recognize Thomas from the football field rather than baseball. The redshirt freshman was a key contributor to Ryan Finley and the Wolfpack’s passing attack this year, and Thomas will hope to have that same impact in baseball.
“I feel like I’m athletic and I track fly balls really well, and my hitting is coming around,” Thomas said. “In high school I was a really good hitter. I hit for a little bit of power, but I mostly hit gap to gap. I just play really hard and can bring a certain kind of energy from football that I can translate into baseball.”
Thomas also believes that playing football in the fall has helped him develop as an outfielder.
“I definitely say catching a punt is a lot harder than catching a fly ball, so having to do that all year has really prepared me and made tracking fly balls really easy,” Thomas said.
Thomas has already proven his athletic ability in football and will certainly look to showcase his talents this spring. Thomas will join the likes of dual-sport athlete Russell Wilson, who also played football and baseball in his time at NC State.
Luca Tresh
Tresh joins NC State as one of two true freshmen outfielders heading into the 2019 season. What makes Tresh unique is that he not only plays in the outfield, but he was also recruited to come to Raleigh as a catcher.
However, with veteran catchers like sophomore Patrick Bailey and junior Brad Debo, Tresh is more likely to see playing time in the outfield. Tresh comes to NC State ranked as the 189th prospect in the country, and with an inexperienced outfield, he has a solid chance at seeing play time this year for the Pack.
Jonny Butler
Butler is a sophomore transfer from Heartland Community College, and his success at that level can be something he brings into the Pack’s outfield. He hit .372 with eight homers and 55 RBIs for Heartland last year.
Marek Chlup
Rounding out the outfield is freshman Marek Chlup. Chlup comes to Raleigh from the Czech Republic. After also generating interest from Duke, Chlup chose to come to NC State along with fellow Czech player Vojtech Mensik, a freshman infielder. Like Tresh, Chlup will look to compete for playing time in an outfield full of young players.
While the Pack lost its whole outfield from last year, this new group of players looks to be up to taking on the daunting task of filling in their shoes. However, replacing key players is nothing new for head coach Elliott Avent, who has 22 years of service leading the Pack. Avent knows it is going to take time to develop this young group, but he has faith in his program.
“Now you’re going to have a new outfielder in every position out there for the first time in three years,” Avent said. “So it’s going to take a lot of work to get it done, but I am proud of the consistency of what this program has done, not only since I have been here, but before I was here.”
This group of outfielders is extremely young, but will continue to develop as the season progresses. Avent has done it before and will most likely do it again, as he aims to develop another young core of outfielders full of potential.
