The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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MARCH/APRIL 2025 ■ 43 cob Dudan, among others — will look to build off a strong 2024 campaign. Even with all the changes, NC State is ranked 13th by D1 Baseball and 16th by Baseball America heading into its Feb. 14 opener against Fordham. Position Players While NC State boasted a veteran start- ing lineup a year ago, it did feature a pair of freshmen in key roles for most of the season: catcher/designated hitter Alex Sosa and second baseman Luke Nixon. Playing behind Cozart, Sosa estab- lished himself as a quality designated hitter when NC State needed him most. He hit .273 with a home run, a double, 3 RBI and 9 total hits during the Pack's eight NCAA Tournament games. The Viera, Fla., native did all that even though he had missed a month of action due to an illness while also enduring the typical fresh- man struggles. Sosa went 14 consecutive games without a hit — an 0-for-37 slump with 4 walks — but broke through down the stretch. "That's a learning curve for Alex," Avent said. "He DH'd a lot last year and went through a really tough slump. … He went through that period and had to process that, deal with it mentally, and he came out on the other side of it with a great end of the season in the NCAA Tournament." Now, Sosa will be in the everyday lineup as a position player. He enters his sophomore season as the Pack's top catcher and is expected to spend most of his time behind the plate. While he didn't catch much last season — just four starts — he spent the offseason learning from former Wolfpack stand- out Patrick Bailey, who won his first Gold Glove with the San Francisco Gi- ants last year. Nixon, meanwhile, was the Wolf- pack's everyday second baseman for much of the 2024 season. He made 33 starts there, but when outfielder Josh Hogue broke his leg, Nixon moved to a new position, making 17 starts in left field and two in right. The Wilmington, N.C., native made a seamless transition, but he will move back to the infield as a sophomore. After training at shortstop over the summer, Nixon will be the Pack's starting second baseman. He hit .238 with 4 home runs, 5 doubles, a triple, 34 RBI and 60 to- tal bases as a freshman and also led the team with 14 stolen bases. Avent said both Nixon and Sosa are primed to continue their development after impactful freshman seasons in ACC play. "The lessons those two guys learned last year through playing in this league are going to help them tremendously," he said. Elsewhere, Avent said the new players will be able to carve out roles through the early stages of the 2025 season. The Wolfpack brought in seven Division I transfers and two junior college recruits to play in the field and hit. Sophomore transfers Chris McHugh (Virginia Commonwealth) and Matt Os- senfort (Vanderbilt) will battle for the starting spot at first base, while senior shortstop Justin DeCriscio (San Diego) was brought in to replace do-it-all in- fielder Brandon Butterworth. Sopho- more third baseman Ryan Jaros (Geor- gia Tech) and sophomore utility player Trenton Lyons (Ole Miss) will also bol- ster the Wolfpack's presence at the plate this spring. While NC State has plenty of new- comers ready to make a splash, Avent predicted that even more will emerge once the season begins. "There will be names popping up," Avent said. "I couldn't have told you this time last year that Jacob Dudan was going to be Jacob Dudan. You get some surprises, but we're just excited to be back playing." Pitchers This year's pitching staff offers a combination of experience and talent. The Wolfpack will be able to deploy dif- ferent pitchers for nearly every situa- tion, giving the team a well-rounded group. "I think we have a nice mix of old and new," pitching coach Clint Chrys- ler said. "It's up to our guys, and it's up to Coach Avent and myself to manage these guys properly. You don't ever really know until the real bullets start flying. … It's a constant battle to figure out those roles. What your roles are in February might not be your roles in May, but I do like the personnel." In his first two seasons in Raleigh, Dominic Fritton experienced successes and struggles. As a freshman, he was among the best young starters in the country, compiling a team-leading 3.59 ERA with 75 strikeouts and only 24 walks in 62.2 innings. Opposing batters logged a .211 average against him, and he was named a consensus Freshman All-American. When he returned for his sophomore campaign, Fritton found himself on a roller coaster ride. He held a 7.64 ERA through 17 starts, logging 72 strikeouts and 47 walks in 73 innings. Fritton was a draft-eligible sopho- more but has returned for his third sea- son and has impressed Chrysler with his determination to bounce back. "Dom is just a rock," Chrysler said. "He'll be the first one to tell you that he was not pleased with the year he had last year — at all. To Dom's credit, he took very little time off after the World Series. He came home and got back to work." Fritton is looking to be the Wolf- " Right now, there are a lot of guys out there battling for spots. This is going to be a whole different team." Avent