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NC State’s Cozart Named to Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List for Second Straight Season

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CARY, N.C. – NC State catcher Jacob Cozart was named to USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, as announced by the organization on Thursday afternoon. The Golden Spikes Award is awarded annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country.

Cozart, a junior from High Point, is one of just 45 student-athletes featured on this year’s Midseason Watch List. He is one of only eight repeat honorees who also made the Midseason Watch List in 2023.

Cozart has batted .330 this season with six homers, three doubles and 21 RBI. He ranks second on the NC State roster with a .475 on-base percentage and leads the team with 25 walks, recording six more walks than strikeouts through 26 games played this season.

In ACC play, Cozart has batted .326 in 12 league games, tying for second on the team with 15 hits against ACC opponents. He has also tallied two doubles and seven RBI in league play so far this season.

Defensively, Cozart has thrown out seven baserunners attempting to steal on 11 attempts, nailing opposing runners at a .611 clip. He leads the Wolfpack with 191 putouts.

D1Baseball recently named Cozart as its No. 22 overall college prospect for the upcoming 2024 MLB Draft. Cozart was also tabbed as the fifth-best catcher in the nation according to D1Baseball’s Week 6 Player Rankings released on March 27.

Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2024. Baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, beginning on May 20 with the naming of the semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on  June 5, and fan voting will once again open at GoldenSpikesAward.combefore closing on June 21.

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NC State Baseball

JUCO Outfielder Jet Gilliam Commits to NC State!

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On Thursday, Junior College Outfielder Jet Gilliam committed to play baseball at NC State.

 

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Gilliam played his Freshman season this past year at the College of Southern Nevada (JUCO), hitting .348, with an OBP of .429 and a Slugging Percentage of .540. That adds up to an OPS of .969. He was perfect on the bases, going 14-14 on stolen base attempts. Gilliam hit 6 home runs, 6 triples and 6 doubles.

Coming out of High School in the 2023 recruiting class, Gilliam ranked #383 nationally overall, and the #64 Outfielder by Perfect Game. They also ranked him as the #3 player in the state of Nevada, and the #1 Outfielder.

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NC State Baseball

Outfielder Dalen Thompson Decommits from NC State to Play Final Season at Campbell

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Back on June 5th, Outfielder Dalen Thompson transferred from NC State to Campbell for his final year of college eligibility. Apparently he has had a change of mind, and will in fact play his final season with the Camels.

Thompson started 46 of 50 games this season, hitting 313/.396/.554 with 10 Home Runs, 47 RBI’s and 20 Stolen Bases. This was his first season as an everyday starter. Prior to his Junior season, Thompson had never hit a single Home Run in 110 at-bats in 61 career games, but he hit 10 over the fence this season in 195 at-bats.

Over three seasons at Campbell, Thompson’s career batting average is .302.

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Former NC State Outfielder Chase Nixon Transfers to Memphis

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On June 21st, NC State Outfielder Chase Nixon entered the Transfer Portal. Yesterday, Nixon found his new home, committing to Memphis.

 

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Heading into the 2024 season, Nixon had a chance to battle for a starting spot, after starting in 18 of the 32 games he played in as a Sophomore. In 2023, Nixon hit .319, with an OBP of .402, and an OPS of .916. The way things panned out, Josh Hogue, Eli Serrano III & Noah Soles nabbed the starting jobs. Even when Hogue went down, Chase’s younger brother Luke was moved from the infield to the outfield.

Unfortunately, the Nixon boys won’t be on the same team for a second year.

Nixon has 1 year of eligibility remaining.

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NC State Baseball

NC State’s Jacob Cozart Signs with the Cleveland Guardians

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Catcher Jacob Cozart officially signed his professional contract with the Cleveland Guardians yesterday.

Cleveland drafted Cozart in the 2nd Round, with the 48th overall pick. The slot value for the 48th pick was $1.94 million. Cozart signed a player friendly deal, worth $2.05 million.

Cozart earned All-American honors from D1Baseball, Baseball America and Perfect Game this year, as well as 1st Team All-ACC honors. He was 1 of 3 Finalists for the Buster Posey Award.

This season, Cozart hit .305 with 19 Home Runs. His OBP was .437, and his OPS was 1.038.

The last Wolfpack Catcher to be drafted this high was Patrick Bailey, who was taken in the 1st Round by the San Francisco Giants in the 2020 Draft, with the 13th overall pick.

Only 22 NC State players have been drafted in the 1st two rounds. Cozart is tied for the 17th highest drafted player in Wolfpack history.

All of the other former (and incoming) players have already signed their contracts.

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