Josh Hogue, junior college standout, picks NC State baseball
NC State baseball has dipped into the junior college ranks to add some help to the lineup next season. Josh Hogue from Sante Fe College in Gainesville, Fla., announced his verbal commitment to the Wolfpack Monday evening.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Hogue from North Palm Beach, Fla., batted .412 in 50 games as a freshman for Sante Fe, hitting seven homers, three triples and 12 doubles in 199 at bats. He was also 11 for 14 on stolen bases and drew 15 walks for a .481 on-base percentage. Hogue scored 65 runs and drove in 41 while possessing a .608 slugging percentage.
Defensively, Hogue had a .961 fielding percentage and committed just three errors. Although listed as an infielder on the official Sante Fe roster, Hogue showcased his versatility, receiving starts at third base, left field and designated hitter.
Josh Hogue part of new-look lineup
Hogue becomes the fourth hitter to announce he was transferring to NC State baseball. The other three came from the NCAA transfer portal.
East Carolina starting third baseman Alec Makarewicz is using his extra year of eligibility to play for the Wolfpack. The 6-foot-2, 217-pounder from Longwood, Fla., entered this year with hopes of being one of the top Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft prospects from the American Athletic Conference (AAC), but had his lowest batting average in his years as a starter, hitting .258 with 11 homers and 49 runs batted in (RBI). Makarewicz added 11 doubles and three triples in 229 at bats for an impressive slugging percentage of .476.
In 2022, Makarewicz hit .270 for East Carolina and belted 11 homers and 15 doubles. As a second-year freshman in 2021, Makarewicz had his best batting average at .295 while hitting six homers, nine doubles and a pair of triples. Makarewicz is also considered a solid fielder at third, sporting a career .967 fielding percentage and having just 14 errors over the past three season s combined.
He is likely to take over for LuJames “Gino” Groover as the everyday third baseman for NC State.
Wichita State everyday first baseman Garrett Pennington hit .307 with 15 homers and 12 doubles in 225 at bats last season, driving in 55 runs and scoring 47 times for Wichita State. He was also 11 for 14 on stolen bases. He hit a pair of grand slams during the year.
Western Carolina starting second baseman Brandon Butterworth had a .301 batting average with five homers, seven triples and 10 doubles among his 66 hits in 219 at-bats. Butterworth also drew 21 walks for a .370 on-base percentage and stole seven bases.
Butterworth is expected to replace Payton Green, who started much of last year at second base before transferring to Georgia Tech.
