2024 College Top 25 Preview: No. 22 N.C. State
Image credit: Jacob Cozart (Photo by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Last season: 36-21 (13-16 ACC), lost in Columbia Regional
Final ranking: NR
Coach (record at school): Elliott Avent (998-592, 27 seasons)
The good news: In recent years, the biggest strength of each N.C. State ball club has been its offensive prowess. This year, however, it boasts one of the deepest pitching staffs in the ACC. Fifth-year senior Matt Willadsen (5-5, 3.78 ERA) will again be a weekend starter for the Wolfpack, while sophomore lefthander Dominic Fritton will make the jump to the rotation full time. Last year, Fritton worked a 3-4 record with a 3.59 ERA and split time between the bullpen and rotation. He has an above-average riding fastball and a quality curveball, and could be in line for a standout season. Also look for SUNY-Cortland (Division-III) transfer Shane Van Dam (2-1, 3.07 ERA) to make his mark in his first season in Raleigh. A former quarterback on the Cortland football team, the 6-foot-6 Van Dam moves well on the mound and is armed with a mid-90s fastball and a sharp, high-spin slider. In relief, veteran righthanders Logan Whitaker (5-3, 4.29 ERA) and Sam Highfill (6-4, 4.83 ERA) will handle the late-inning duties. Tennessee transfer Hollis Fanning (0-0, 1.26 ERA) will also be a key relief arm. In addition to its returners and strong transfer class, a trio of freshmen arms in Ryan Marohn, Chance Mako and Jacob Dudan also figure to log their fair share of innings. Marohn has a chance to be the team’s midweek starter come opening day. At the plate, the dynamic duo of catcher Jacob Cozart (.301/.392/.546) and outfielder Eli Serrano III (.292/.389/.470) lead the way, while fifth-year Noah Soles (.305/.443/.466), Wichita State transfer Garrett Pennington (.289/.351/.534), East Carolina transfer Alec Makarewicz (.258/.356/.476) and Western Carolina transfer Brandon Butterworth (.301/.370/.479) really lengthen the lineup and provide a blend of power and hitability. Freshmen Luke Nixon and Alex Sosa also seem to be in line for everyday roles after impressive showings this fall.
The bad news: All of the bad news for the Wolfpack relates to the offensive firepower it lost from last year’s squad. It must somehow replace 75% (69-of-92) of its home runs hit from last year as well as four of its five most productive hitters. While the likes of Gino Groover (.332/.430/.546), Trevor Candelaria (.295/.379/.540), Parker Nolan (.288/.377/.555), Kalae Harrison (.313/.436/.426) and Carter Trice (.248/.348/.479) all were either drafted or graduated, N.C. State again lost a handful of players to the transfer portal. Most notably, the team’s leading hitter Cannon Peebles (.352/.456/.697)—who also led the team with 50 RBIs—transferred to Tennessee, while Payton Green (.274/.350/.476) transferred to conference rival Georgia Tech and Will Marcy (.302/.399/.500) transferred to Memphis. There is no doubt that Coach Avent and his staff did a nice job of rebuilding via the transfer portal, but that is a heck of a lot of production to try and replace.
Player to know: Joshua Hogue, OF. A former standout at Santa Fe College, Hogue will be a key cog in this year’s N.C. State lineup. Last year, he hit .412/.481/.608 with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 41 RBIs while playing quality defense in left field. Hogue then proceeded to enjoy a productive 18-game stint in the Valley League to the tune of a .360/.429/.613 slash line with 10 extra-base hits and 18 RBIs. He has quick hands at the plate, above-average barrel skills and advanced baseball sense.
Path to Omaha: N.C. State last year made the tournament for the seventh time in the last eight seasons after a rather modest regular-season showing. Its time in the Columbia Regional got off to a great start as it took down Campbell 5-1 in its first game, but it then proceeded to lose to South Carolina and Campbell in consecutive days to conclude the season. Typically, the narrative surrounding the Wolfpack is, “we know they can hit, but how far they go in the tournament will hinge on pitching.” This year, it is the total opposite. If its crop of transfer hitters show they can handle the jump to the ACC and the freshmen flash the same skill sets they did in the fall, N.C. State could be in line for a deep tournament run.
| Pos. | Name | Year | AVG | OBP | SLG | AB | HR | RBI |
| C | Jacob Cozart | Jr. | .301 | .392 | .546 | 196 | 10 | 42 |
| 1B | Garrett Pennington | R-Sr. | Transfer—Wichita State | |||||
| 2B | Luke Nixon | Fr. | HS—Wilmington, N.C. | |||||
| 3B | Alec Makarewicz | R-Sr. | Transfer—East Carolina | |||||
| SS | Brandon Butterworth | Jr. | Transfer—Western Carolina | |||||
| OF | Josh Hogue | So. | Transfer—Santa Fe (Fla.) JC | |||||
| OF | Eli Serrano | So. | .292 | .389 | .470 | 185 | 7 | 32 |
| OF | Noah Soles | Sr. | .305 | .443 | .466 | 118 | 3 | 14 |
| DH | Alex Sosa | Fr. | HS—Viera, Fla. | |||||
| Pos. | Name | Class | W | L | ERA | IP | SO | SV |
| SP | Dom Fritton | So. | 3 | 4 | 3.59 | 63 | 75 | 3 |
| SP | Matt Willadsen | Sr. | 5 | 5 | 3.78 | 81 | 86 | 0 |
| SP | Shane Van Dam | So. | Transfer—SUNY Cortland | |||||
| RP | Logan Whitaker | Sr. | 5 | 3 | 4.29 | 80 | 79 | 0 |
| RP | Sam Highfill | Sr. | 6 | 4 | 4.83 | 54 | 48 | 1 |
| RP | Hollis Fanning | Jr. | Transfer—Tennessee |
