Thoughts on NC State Baseball After 2 Series

#14 NC State is 4-2, winning their first two series of the 2024 season against VCU and Hawaii, taking 2 of 3 in both series. Before the Wolfpack hosts Queens today at 2pm, let’s breakdown what we’ve seen out of NC State through the first 6 games.

The Bats are on Fire

The Wolfpack bats have been scorching. As a team, NC State is batting .339 with an OPS of .945.

I know it’s only been 6 games, but the players NC State picked up out of the Transfer Portal have been lights out. 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington (SR), who transferred in from Wichita St., is batting .407 (team high for starters), with an OPS of .987. His 11 hits are tops on the squad, and his 4 extra base hits (4 2B) are tied for the most on the team. Left Fielder Josh Hogue (SO), who was a JUCO Transfer, is batting .391. 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz (SR), who transferred in from East Carolina, has been the Wolfpack’s most productive offensive player through 6 games. He is batting .360 with an OPS of 1.208, which leads the team. He also leads the Wolfpack in Runs (9), Home Runs (3), RBI’s (11), and ranks 2nd on the team in Walks (4).

The Wolfpack players who returned from last year are doing their thing as well.

Preseason All-American Catcher Jacob Cozart (JR) is 2nd on the team with an OPS of 1.154, and leads the Wolfpack with 6 walks. He’s batting .364 with 2 Home Runs.

A healthy Noah Soles is an essential part of the Wolfpack’s offensive attack. Batting leadoff, Soles is batting .333, ranks 2nd in Hits (9) and Runs (8). He also has 2 Home Runs.

Sophomore Center Fielder Eli Serrano III started the season cold, but head into today’s game batting .320.

Redshirt Freshman Drew Lanphere has been solid at DH, batting .357 through 6 games.

Freshman Luke Nixon’s production might eventually push the coaching staff to start him over Matt Heavner (SO) at 2nd Base. Nixon is batting .429, but he’s only been to the plate 7 times. To give Heavner credit, his Batting Average is a dismal .235, but his OPS is .904.

Freshman Alex Sosa has only played in 2 games thus far, but he has been impressive, batting .429. There’s no denying that Sosa is talented. I didn’t expect him to play Catcher instead of Cozart, but was wondering if he would settle in at Designated Hitter. The good news is the Wolfpack has talented depth, and another Freshman (RS) in Drew Lamphere has competed for that spot, and has played in 5 games, batting .357, as mentioned above.

Defensive Miscues Still Prevail 

Last year, NC State’s fielding percentage of .963 was tied for last in the ACC. Currently, the Wolfpack’s fielding percentage is actually worse than last year, sitting at .958. NC State has committed 9 errors in 6 games, giving up 10 unearned runs. That’s not a recipe for winning baseball games. There’s a lot of new players, and hopefully this is just a sign of new teammates learning how to play together.

Pitchers are Putting Too Many Batters on Base

NC State’s ERA as an entire pitching staff is 5.19. One of the reasons that number is so high, is because the Wolfpack pitchers have walked 41 batters, compared to 51 strikeouts. When you throw in the fact that they have hit 10 batters, that ratio of BB/HBP:K is literally 51:51. No wonder the WHIP of the Wolfpack’s pitching staff is an astounding 1.73. Clean up giving batters free bases, and the stats of this pitching staff will look leaps and bounds better.