Why Tennessee transfer slugger Dalton Bargo was a ‘no-brainer’ addition for NC State baseball

Dalton Bargo stepped into the batter’s box at the Fredericksburg Nationals’ Virginia Credit Union Stadium on a chilly October Saturday night looking to leave a positive first impression in his first game action with NC State. Although it was just a fall ball exhibition against Wake Forest, Bargo was determined to find a pitch he could hit in his first at-bat.

The Tennessee transfer arrived in Raleigh with a reputation of hitting for power, and well, his first trip to the plate in an NC State uniform proved that. Bargo, who worked a 2-1 count with a patient approach, launched a missile down the right field line that cleared the 16-foot tall fence with ease in the top of the second of what was a 11-5 win over the Demon Deacons. 

“It felt really good,” Bargo said with a grin a few days later. “I just really wanted to go out there and just play the game the right way and play hard. … I happened to put a really good swing on it and it felt really good to get the first one out of the way with the Pack.”

Bargo’s moonshot in his first (unofficial) plate appearance with the Wolfpack is the exact reason why he was a coveted prospect in college baseball’s free agency period this past summer. The utility man, who hit a career-best 14 homers en route to 40 RBI with the Volunteers last season, was acquired to add power to Pack’s order, which lacked a player that clubbed 15 or more for just the second time in the last nine full seasons a year ago. 

Although his bat is a critical asset, 30th-year skipper Elliott Avent didn’t just add Bargo because of that. He did extensive research on the slugger, which included calling then-Tennessee coach Tony Vitello (he was hired as the San Francisco Giants manager Wednesday) and former Wolfpack catcher Cannon Peebles, who spent the last two seasons as teammates with Bargo in Knoxville.

As it turned out, both parties had ringing endorsements for the slugger. That sealed the deal for Avent, who made Bargo a priority in the portal.

“He’s everything that we want makeup wise and as a player,” Avent said, “so that was a no-brainer.”

Bargo, who had previously transferred from Missouri to Tennessee, was quickly attracted to NC State in the transfer portal after talking with Avent, as well as associate head coach Chris Hart. Add in Avent’s consistent communication with Bargo’s parents, checking in throughout the decision-making process, which led to an easy decision for the coveted transfer bat.

“He was really adamant about calling and checking in on them and seeing where our heads were at,” Bargo said of the program’s all-time winningest coach. “He was just making sure the family was doing good. I really liked that about him in the recruiting process.”

While Bargo has elite pop in his bat, he’s working to become a more well-rounded player at the plate in his only season at NC State. He likes sending rockets out of the yard, but Bargo wants to prove that he is a complete hitter, too.

After all, his goal is to hear his name called in next summer’s MLB Draft — something he thought would happen this past year — and teams would like to see him cut down on his strikeouts after he turned in a 27.1-percent K rate last spring. 

As Bargo looks to refine his hitting tool with NC State assistant Bo Robinson and Hart, there’s recent precedent in what he’s looking for to become the next success story of a transfer hitter showing up in Raleigh and leaving with professional potential. He just has to look at former East Carolina third baseman Alec Makarewicz, who hit .378 with 25 doubles, 24 home runs and 84 RBI to help the team to the 2024 College World Series in his lone campaign with the Wolfpack, as a key example.

While NC State only played two fall ball scrimmages, creating a miniscule sample size, Bargo went a combined 1-for-5 with the home run, two walks and four strikeouts against Wake Forest and North Carolina. There’s room for improvement, but he was able to put together several quality at-bats, including a full-count walk in the first exhibition against the Demon Deacons.

In addition to looking to improve his hitting, Bargo has an opportunity to play his primary positions — corner infield and catcher — with the Wolfpack. He wasn’t able to compete at those spots consistently with the Volunteers as he logged two starts behind the plate, two in right field, seven at first, 18 at third, and 37 in left field this past spring.

This coming spring, however, it’s likely that Bargo will see time as a corner infielder, while he’s also a candidate to serve as a designated hitter as well.

So far, it seems like Bargo’s addition to the Wolfpack roster has been a positive one. Not only for his ability to hit, which will be critical as NC State looks to make its third trip to Omaha since 2021, but his guidance of the younger players in the locker room is just as important. 

“He’s been great since he’s been here,” sophomore center fielder Ty Head said. “He’s already been leading this team. He’s just a great guy to be around. He brings a lot of wellness and really being close as a team player.”