Cullowhee, N.C. – Patrolling the expansive outfield at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium – and all points between opening weekend and the conference championship – Western Carolina has nine different players who could see time across the three outfield positions for the Catamount baseball team this spring.
 
WCU's 2026 position preview concludes today with the outfielders ahead of Friday's first scheduled meeting against George Washington University in #CatamountCountry.
 
The Catamounts lost two key outfielders from last year's squad, both selected in the MLB draft. Brayden Corn started 57 of WCU's 58 games a year ago in center field before being selected in the 15th round by the Seattle Mariners. Hayden Friese was drafted in the 20th round of last year's draft by the Atlanta Braves.
 
Only two of the nine projected outfielders saw the bulk of their action in 2025 in the outfield, including returning junior Elijah Smith in right field and redshirt senior Cole Jones between left and right, making 27 and eight starts, respectively, for 35 total.
 
Smith, who is expected to move to centerfield this spring, played in 55 games last year with 50 starts – all coming in right field. The third-year athlete had his best offensive year last season, batting .310 with 17 doubles, a pair of triples, and four home runs, including the dramatic game-winning round-tripper that scored three in the walk-off win over Maryland on his first career homer.
 
Cole Jones and his redshirt freshman namesake, Jaylen Jones, could see split duty through the 2026 season between the outfield and the infield – Jaylen across the middle infield and Cole perhaps at first base.
 
Entering his fourth season in a Catamount uniform, the hard-working Cole Jones hit .269 a season ago with 12 extra-base hits, including eight doubles and four home runs, scoring 32 runs with 29 driven home. He is a versatile athlete with a strong arm from the outfield, but also limber enough that he could see time at the left-side infield corner. Cole is a .274 lifetime hitter in Cullowhee, with 20 doubles and 10 homers since 2023, and was sidelined much of 2024 with an injury.
 
Speaking of injury, Jaylen Jones started 15 of his first 16 collegiate games between second and third base last season before being sidelined with a foot issue. The Loganville, Ga., product was hitting .396 with 21 hits through 16 games played. He gives the Catamounts an added dimension with his speed, legging out two doubles and a pair of triples, with seven stolen bases through 16 games ahead of his injury in 2025. The strong athlete did play some outfield as a prep at Loganville High.

Through the offseason, redshirt sophomore Wyatt Stanley made the projected move to the outfield to take over in left field. He was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection as the designated hitter and a SoCon All-Freshman selection last season after starting 44 of the team's 58 games, including 39 as the DH and four at first. The High Point, N.C., product hit .331, with 49 hits, including 23 for extra bases with 18 doubles, a team-best three triples, and two home runs.
 
Adding depth for the Catamounts are junior Brody Raleigh, returning redshirt sophomore Yates Sikes, and sophomore transfer Walker Fox (Mars Hill). Raleigh, son of WCU Athletics and Vermont Hall of Famer Matt Raleigh, has seen limited playing time over the past three seasons, but is coming off one of the best preseason camps ahead of 2026, and could factor into the lineup early in the season.
 
Sikes entered the transfer portal following the 2025 campaign, but pulled his name out and returned to Cullowhee during the summer. The redshirt sophomore from High Point started twice last year after redshirting in 2024, once in left field and once in center at UNC Asheville, where he delivered a run-scoring single against the mountain-rival Bulldogs.
 
A product of Canton, N.C., Fox played 49 games at Mars Hill last spring, batting .292 with a team-high nine home runs. He scored 37 runs and drove home 39 as a freshman. A three-time all-conference selection on the diamond at Pisgah High, Fox was a two-sport athlete as a prep, adding All-State kicker/punter to his resume.
 
WCU welcomes back one redshirt freshman in Caden Haywood, who did not see game action a year ago, and true freshman Dominic Robinson (Denver, N.C.). Haywood is a big-bodied outfielder at 6-5, 250-lbs., who lettered in three varsity sports – baseball, basketball, and football – in all four seasons as a prep at Hickory Ridge High. Robinson was the Bandys High Male Athlete of the Year as a senior, also playing baseball, basketball, and football as a prep.
 
The Catamounts open the season this weekend (Feb. 13-15) against first-time opponent George Washington at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. Games on Friday and Sunday are currently scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live stats linked online at CatamountSports.com.

Season tickets are on sale now through the Catamount Athletics ticket office, located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 227-2401, and online any time at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets. Tickets start at just $51 for adult general admission or $26 for youth general admission. Additional seating options include reserved field-level chair-back seats and upper-reserved chair-back seats under cover beneath the press box.

Single-game tickets for the 2026 home schedule will go on sale to the public on Friday, Jan. 30, ahead of the season-opening weekend in mid-February.

Keep track of everything related to Catamount baseball and WCU Athletics through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountBSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountbsb).
 
Outfielders
1 – Elijah Smith, Jr. (Warner Robins, Ga.)
2 – Yates Sikes, R-So. (High Point, N.C.)
3 – Jaylen Jones, R-Fr. (Loganville, Ga.)
11 – Cole Jones, R-Sr. (Champaign, Ill.)
16 – Walker Fox, So. (Canton, N.C.)
27 – Wyatt Stanley, R-So. (High Point, N.C.)
34 – Brody Raleigh, Jr. (Endwell, N.Y.)
39 – Dominic Robinson, Fr. (Denver, N.C.)
44 – Caden Haywood, R-Fr. (Harrisburg, N.C.)