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Much of the preseason buzz surrounding the new class has revolved around the freshman arms. Florida State has a tremendous crop of new talent this season — here’s a look at one of the names that is flying a bit under the radar.
Gage Hutchinson (RHP)
After graduating from Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, FL., Hutchinson enrolled at Daytona State College. This was not his first choice. After suffering an injury, in a game against Venice HS during his junior year, Hutchinson spent his senior season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Prior to the injury Hutchinson said he had received interest from several D1 schools including FAU and UCF. In 2014 he spoke to the Daytona News Journal about what that process was like for him.
“It was a big blow. It came at a big time for me, and it was definitely hard to keep my spirits up,“ he said. “It is just such a long process. But I have had a lot of encouragement from my parents, teammates and coaches, and that really helps to push me a lot.”
Of the decision to go to Daytona State, Hutchinson was appreciative that “they are taking a chance on the fact that I can come back and be as good as I was.”
Mission Accomplished
After red-shirting during his first year on campus, Hutchinson had something to prove as a member of the Falcons in 2016 — and he did exactly that. Having missed two seasons of competitive baseball, Hutchinson threw five complete games, posted a 9-5 record, and finished with a 3.39 ERA. During his two seasons at Daytona State, he took home Pitcher of the Year honors twice — and became the all-time school leader (15) in wins.
Injuries are already impacting the bullpen and the season hasn’t even started yet. Yes, there’s a slew of high-upside freshman, however, Hutchinson may be called upon if Head Coach Mike Martin decides to go with an experience-first approach. You won’t have to wait much longer for answers to some of these questions, the Seminoles start the season later this afternoon against Xavier.