North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Baseball Adds Three Signings to kick off Chris Hart Era
6/19/2026 4:00:00 PM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C.- The Chris Hart era is underway, and the first-year head coach has signed his first three commits out of the transfer portal as Jesse Gutierrtez, Chet Lax, and Andrew Raymond have all committed to the Pack for the 2027 season.
Guttierrez, a left-handed pitcher out of Santa Clara, Calif., comes to NC State as a grad transfer after four seasons at San Jose State. Last season, Gutierrez appeared in 14 games on the mound with 10 starts. He struck out 31 batters across 45.1 innings pitched.
In 2025, Gutierrez missed the second half of the season due to injury. He finished the season with a 2.36 ERA and a 3-2 record with opposing batters hitting just .196 against him. He tossed a career-best eight innings with a career-high nine strikeouts against San Francisco that season.
Appearing in 21 games for the Spartans in 2024, including the Mountain West Baseball Championship, he was named to the Mountain West Championship All-Tournament Team after pitching seven innings against New Mexico and striking out eight batters. He majored in kinesiology.
Another left-handed pitcher, Chet Lax, comes from Wright State. Lax posted a 9-1 record with a 4.23 ERA in 17 appearances, including 13 starts, this past season en route to First Team All-Horizon League honors. He struck out 69 batters while walking 20 as opposing hitters hit .276 across 78.2 innings pitched in Lax's best campaign of his college career.
 The southpaw struck out at least five batters in seven of his 17 appearances, including a season-high six in a two-hit start that spanned 7.1 innings of work against Northern Kentucky on April 4. Lax impressed in his two starts against a power conference squad this season after he tossed seven shutout innings at No. 19 Tennessee on March 8, while he gave up just one run in four innings at Georgia on Feb. 14.
In total, Lax owns an 18-4 record with a 5.10 ERA across 54 appearances, which include 28 starts, at the collegiate level. He has struck out 156 with just 58 walks in 183.2 career innings of work on the mound, all with Wright State.
The Wolfpack bolstered the catching position as Andrew Raymond comes to NC State from Mississippi State. The Middletown, Md., native hit .348 with three doubles, two home runs and nine RBI across 22 appearances with 10 starts in his lone season with the Bulldogs. Raymond logged three multi-RBI efforts at Mississippi State, including pair of RBIs via a two-run home run at Ole Miss on March 29.
Before playing for the Bulldogs, Raymond spent his freshman season at George Mason in 2025, where he was named an All-Atlantic 10 Rookie Team. That season He hit .287 with 10 doubles, five home runs and 33 RBIs. He logged an .824 OPS, while throwing out eight would-be base stealers in his 51 appearances (50 starts) in his lone campaign with the Patriots.
Before he entered the college ranks, Raymond checked in as the No. 500 overall recruit in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to Perfect Game. He was the No. 21 prospect in Maryland, rising to be the No. 2 catcher in the state as a high school senior.
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Guttierrez, a left-handed pitcher out of Santa Clara, Calif., comes to NC State as a grad transfer after four seasons at San Jose State. Last season, Gutierrez appeared in 14 games on the mound with 10 starts. He struck out 31 batters across 45.1 innings pitched.
In 2025, Gutierrez missed the second half of the season due to injury. He finished the season with a 2.36 ERA and a 3-2 record with opposing batters hitting just .196 against him. He tossed a career-best eight innings with a career-high nine strikeouts against San Francisco that season.
Appearing in 21 games for the Spartans in 2024, including the Mountain West Baseball Championship, he was named to the Mountain West Championship All-Tournament Team after pitching seven innings against New Mexico and striking out eight batters. He majored in kinesiology.
Another left-handed pitcher, Chet Lax, comes from Wright State. Lax posted a 9-1 record with a 4.23 ERA in 17 appearances, including 13 starts, this past season en route to First Team All-Horizon League honors. He struck out 69 batters while walking 20 as opposing hitters hit .276 across 78.2 innings pitched in Lax's best campaign of his college career.
 The southpaw struck out at least five batters in seven of his 17 appearances, including a season-high six in a two-hit start that spanned 7.1 innings of work against Northern Kentucky on April 4. Lax impressed in his two starts against a power conference squad this season after he tossed seven shutout innings at No. 19 Tennessee on March 8, while he gave up just one run in four innings at Georgia on Feb. 14.
In total, Lax owns an 18-4 record with a 5.10 ERA across 54 appearances, which include 28 starts, at the collegiate level. He has struck out 156 with just 58 walks in 183.2 career innings of work on the mound, all with Wright State.
The Wolfpack bolstered the catching position as Andrew Raymond comes to NC State from Mississippi State. The Middletown, Md., native hit .348 with three doubles, two home runs and nine RBI across 22 appearances with 10 starts in his lone season with the Bulldogs. Raymond logged three multi-RBI efforts at Mississippi State, including pair of RBIs via a two-run home run at Ole Miss on March 29.
Before playing for the Bulldogs, Raymond spent his freshman season at George Mason in 2025, where he was named an All-Atlantic 10 Rookie Team. That season He hit .287 with 10 doubles, five home runs and 33 RBIs. He logged an .824 OPS, while throwing out eight would-be base stealers in his 51 appearances (50 starts) in his lone campaign with the Patriots.
Before he entered the college ranks, Raymond checked in as the No. 500 overall recruit in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to Perfect Game. He was the No. 21 prospect in Maryland, rising to be the No. 2 catcher in the state as a high school senior.
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