BASEBALL PREVIEW | CATCHER: NC State banking on Alex Sosa to breakout, but have depth behind the plate

We’re going to be previewing this year’s NC State baseball team by introducing you to the players position by position. There a lot of newcomers, so we’ll do our best to project where we might see guys and how they’ll fit into the lineup.

CATCHER PREVIEW

NC State has an opening at catcher with Jacob Cozart being drafted by the Cleveland Indians this offseason. Cozart batted .305 last year with 19 homers and 52 BBs, while being regarded as one of the best catchers in the country defensively. He was NC State’s cleanup hitter late in the season.

All of that being said, NC State has a huge hole to fill both in their lineup and behind the plate. Cozart was a junior, and having an experienced backstop working with your staff is always a plus. This year, that’s not going to be an option, but the Pack does have 2 very exciting prospects who will see time trying to fill this void.

PROJECTED STARTER
Alex Sosa | 6’1, 207lbs | Sophomore
Sosa came in with all the accolades last season as a freshman. He was the top catcher and the 17th best overall player from Florida. He was the 99th overall player in the class according to Perfect Game.

Last year, while only starting 4 games at catcher, Sosa’s bat was good enough to warrant 26 starts at designated hitter. He ranked second among freshmen position players with 35 games played despite missing a month while he was sick.

The freshman didn’t light the world on fire all season long, as you’d expect. It took him some time to get acclimated which led to a .230 average with 26 hits, 6 HRs, 24 RBIs and 16 runs scored. Decent but not great.

The excitement for Sosa comes from what he started doing later in the season, coupled with his pedigree.

Sosa started all 8 of NC State’s NCAA Tournament games las year, batting .273 with a homer , a couple and 3 RBIs (on 9 hits). He showed his clutch factor with three hits in a Super Regional win over No. 10 Georgia on June 10, helping the Pack advance to the College World Series.

This year he’s ranked #25 on Perfect Game’s Top College Sophomores list which came out earlier this month.

Sosa is likely going to be an MLB prospect if he continues to improve with his bat and he can showcase the defensive abilities he was known for in High School.

It’s likely that Sosa will start the season as NC State’s starting catcher.

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OTHER CATCHERS
Drew Lanphere | 5’10, 2190lbs | Redshirt Sophomore
Last year, Lanphere played his redshirt freshman season for NC State. He logged 32 appearances with 18 starts. 13 of his starts were at DH, 4 were at catcher and 1 was in LF.

Lanphere batted .273 with 21 hits, 2 HRs, and 14 RBIs. Despite playing multiple positions, he finished with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, recording 32 putouts and 2 assists on 34 chances.

It’s likely that Lanphere will get starts at catcher this year behind Sosa, with both guys seeing some time at DH when the other is behind the plate.

Preston Bonn | 6’0, 187lbs | Freshman
Bonn might be a freshman, but he’s coming in with some hype as well. He was the 7th best catcher and 50th overall player in Georgia last year, according to Perfect Game. He’s also ranked as the 52nd best catcher nationally.

Bonn was actually committed to UGA before flipping his commitment this past July.

Bonn may get reps if he doesn’t redshirt, but with Sosa and Lanphere, there isn’t going to be a ton of playing time to be had. However, Lanphere does play OF as well, so if he’s needed out there due to injury, Bonn may be forced into a larger role.