NC State freshman OF Ty Head impresses again to pace No. 13 Pack over Stanford

NC State freshman center fielder Ty Head has grown accustomed to stealing opposing teams’ possible big-play opportunities this spring. He’s done it consistently all season, including robbing homers against Wright State in February and Virginia in April, following every game-altering play up by flashing a celebratory ‘X’ with his arms and a wide grin.  

But as the Wolfpack battles for its first ACC regular season crown since 1986, Head seems to have taken his play to another level this weekend against Stanford. And yet, it still looks as if he’s riding a bike. 

His latest mind-boggling play? A possible game-saving diving grab in a momentum-turning seventh of No. 13 NC State’s 7-2 win over Stanford on Thursday night at Doak Field. 

At the time, the Pack led by one and it appeared the Cardinal was not going to go away. Stanford star shortstop Temo Becerra led off the frame and laced a hard-hit fly ball to center. As the ball traveled to Head’s right, he gave chase, but it didn’t look likely to be caught. 

Although most outfielders would look to play it off the bounce, limiting the knock to a double, Head had other ideas. 

The Winter Garden, Fla., found another gear as he tracked the sure-fire extra-base hit and leapt off his right foot as he nearly went parallel with the natural grass playing surface. Head fully extended his right arm, and his 6-foot-3 frame had just enough to make the play.

“You’ve got to play defense to win, in any sport,” NC State coach Elliott Avent said afterwards. “When that ball was hit, I had a good angle on it. I said ‘there’s no way he’s going to get it.’ We’ve had a lot of great center fielders here, and he’s one of them as a rookie. That’s one of the two best catches I’ve seen this year. … It was incredible and came at a really good time.”

That spectacular diving catch set the tone for the rest of the frame, which was a quick 1-2-3 inning for NC State freshman reliever Anderson Nance. But it wasn’t the end of Head’s fireworks in the frame. No. He was ready to make just as loud of an impact at the plate, too. 

Head, who was recently shuffled to the middle of the Wolfpack’s batting order, came up with two on and two out in the one-run affair. He remained calm at the plate, taking a pair of balls with a strike sandwiched in between before uncorking a laser over the right field fence. The three-run blast doubled NC State’s run output and fully handed the Wolfpack the momentum to cruise to the team’s 17th league win of the season. 

As Head reflected on the wild 15-minute span of actual time, he was quick to downplay his fifth blast of the year. Instead, it’s the plays he makes for his team in the field that motivates him. 

“I’d rather make a play [in the field] than hit a home run, to be honest,” said Head, who went 2-for-4 with a team-best three RBI to go with the homer. “It’s just the excitement. I think it’s harder to make a better play than to hit a home run.”

Head’s elite defensive play this season, which will likely garner votes for the ACC’s top defender in next week’s awards, isn’t a coincidence. He’s an elite athlete that had MLB teams flocking to his games last year in an effort to sway him to the draft instead of arriving in Raleigh. 

But after he elected to honor his commitment to NC State, Head has practiced as if he wasn’t the No. 151 overall prospect in last summer’s draft. That has paid dividends ever since. 

“He’s worked so hard all year,” Avent said. “I’ve had to tell him to tone it down at the end of the year. He’s played in every game as a rookie. … He’s just one of those guys that works so hard in practice. That’s why he was able to make that play. In practice, he runs balls down all the time.”

But if you ask Head, he’s just doing what’s best for the Wolfpack. The freshman is humble and reserved, focused on winning one game at a time. NC State needs just two more wins to claim the ACC regular season title and the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and Head just wants to do his part. 

“We’re not really thinking about ‘we need to win,’” Head said. “I think we’re just having fun, and it’s one game at a time. We’re just all trying to do our jobs.”

Well, Head did more than enough in the Pack’s series-opening win over the Cardinal. If he and the Pack continue to enjoy themselves over the next two days, history could be waiting for them on Saturday afternoon. 

Until then, Head will race after anything hit in his direction, putting his body on the line to make the most difficult catches look routine.

“It’s fun just going out there, giving all I’ve got,” Head said. “I feel like I’m one of those guys that just wants to do it for the team.”