OUR TAKE: On #13 NC State Baseball’s dominant 11-1 win over Fordham (in Game 1)

#13 NC State opened the season with a bang, knocking out Fordham via the mercy rule (10-run rule) in both game 1 and game 2. Let’s first take a look at Game 1, where the Pack went on to win 11-1.

Dom Fritton took the hill in the opener and looked good, giving NC State 4.1 innings and striking out 5 on 84 pitches. Overall I thought Fritton looked good, but a little jittery in this one, which is expected with it being the first game of the season.

Fritton was living in the low to mid-90s which is going to play well in college. He’s going to get a good amount of K’s, but there was a lot of traffic on the basepath, as he did give up 3 hits and 2 walks over those 4 innings. Avent is going to want a little more efficiency from Fritton, but overall I thought he looked good.

Offensively, NC State looked potent. Luke Nixon (2B – and the son of former MLB star Trot Nixon) hit the ball hard, and looked good in the leadoff spot. He gives you speed, decent plate discipline, and good contact skills at the top of the lineup. He finished with a single and an RBI on the game, with his single being a frozen rope into right in the 5th inning.

The real pop, however, came from the heart of the lineup.

We told you to watch out for Chris McHugh (1B). This guy is going to be a star for this team and he didn’t take long to let you know it. The sophomore from VCU came in and immediately made his presence felt. He was on base 4 times in this game, going 2-2 and walking twice. His first hit was a bouncing ball between short and third, but he showcased his real skillset in the 8th when he launched a titanic blast to left center. Plate discipline and power. McHugh is going to be a fan favorite.

Batting cleanup was Alex Sosa (C), who came into this season with a lot of hype after ending last season on a tear. He too got his season started off with a bang. He walked early on, but in the 7th he launched an opposite-way bomb just inside the foul pole to left. It was an impressive feat of power, showcasing how deadly he can be at the plate. Sosa has power to all fields and this is the type of homer that should have state fans excited. He kept his bat in the zone, was a little late and still was able to get enough of it to send it out.

Love Sosa.
Alex Sosa with the first homerun of the season.

🐏: 1
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— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) February 14, 2025

Aside from the big boppers, NC State showed that they can extend their lineup with some good quality hitting from the 5-7 spots. DeCriscio (SS), Lanphere (DH), and Fraasman (RF). This trio went 6-12 with 4 RBI’s. Fraasman had 3 of those hits including a double on a laser down the left-field line.

Freshman Ty Head got the nod in CF and looked good, but didn’t get a hit. He did however walk twice and looks to have a very advanced approach at the plate for a kit this young.

Overall it was a good opener for NC State. But let me say this; ACC Network leaves a lot to be desired with their baseball coverage. I’m glad these games are televised, so I guess beggers can’t be choosers, but there are too few chyrons showing who the batter is, forcing you to pay attention to the announcers to hear who is up. This will be fine later in the season when we know everyone’s stance and are familiar with the roster. But it’s a new season with a ton of new guys and it would be nice to get acclimated with more introductions and chyrons showing their name/position/average/etc. On top of that, the announcers sound like they aren’t really ‘baseball’ people. Using phrases like “He gets a triple on an error!” Well, that’s really not a thing. He can “get to third” on an error, but a triple would insinuate that he got a hit, and by definition, an error isn’t a hit.

Anyways, again, I’m glad we all get to watch the games, but baseball heads are going to be a little underwhelmed by the commentary when games are on ACC Network.