No. 16 NC State 2025 College Top 25 Preview
Image credit: Alex Sosa (Photo courtesy of NC State)
- Last season: 38-23 (18-11 ACC); reached College World Series
- Final 2024 ranking: No. 7
- Coach (record at school): Elliott Avent (1,036-615, 29th season)
You can find our complete 2025 preseason Top 25 ranking here.
The Good News
NC State head coach Elliott Avent in 2024 returned to what he called his favorite place on Earth, Omaha, for the third time in his storied tenure and finished the campaign with 38 total wins, the team’s most since 2019. The Wolfpack returned two-thirds of their primary weekend rotation from that team, lefties Dominic Fritton and Ryan Marohn, and also brought back righty Matt Willadsen, a promising starter who missed 2024 due to injury. NC State’s bullpen is well-stocked with returning options, too, which Avent said is a key part of his 2025 roster construction. The Wolfpack batting order is set to feature several newcomers on a regular basis, including former VCU infielder Chris McHugh, Georgia Tech infielder Ryan Jaros, San Diego infielder Justin DeCriscio and Missouri outfielder Trenton Lyons, all of whom are expected to start early on in the season. While the program effectively returned none of its top offensive producers from last year, it is quite bullish on catcher Alex Sosa, second baseman Luke Nixon and outfielder Josh Hogue, among others.
The Bad News
Widely regarded as one of the top hitting minds in college baseball, NC State associate head coach Chris Hart has his work cut out for him this season after the Wolfpack lost their top five home run hitters from last season to pro ball. NC State’s projected lineup does not include any players who eclipsed 10 home runs last season and only one player, McHugh, who took at least 200 at-bats in 2024. The Wolfpack offense is a big question mark as a result.
Player To Know
NC State is hopeful that southpaw Dominic Fritton will take the form of a true staff ace this season after he scuffled his way to a 7.35 ERA, 69 strikeouts, 21 home runs surrendered and 44 walks in 71 innings as a sophomore in 2024. Fritton’s results came as a surprise after he put together a standout freshman campaign in 2023 when he pitched to a 3.57 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 62.2 innings. The Wolfpack are confident they have him on the right track to return to that form after focusing on new pitch grips and stressing the importance of fastball location, which got him into trouble frequently last year.
Path To Omaha
The only thing that could be standing in the way of NC State’s first back-to-back trips to Omaha in program history could be whether or not its new-look offense can click. The Wolfpack are deep on the mound and appear well-position to outperform their bottom-of-conference marks from 2024. Avent has guided the program to no fewer than 35 wins in the last nine full seasons and expects to have a shot at another run in 2025.
Projected 2025 Lineup
| Pos | Player | Year | AVG | OBP | SLG | AB | HR | RBI | Note |
| C | Alex Sosa | So. | .230 | .356 | .398 | 113 | 6 | 24 | |
| 1B | Chris McHugh* | So. | .273 | .390 | .385 | 205 | 6 | 33 | Virginia Commonwealth |
| 2B | Luke Nixon | So. | .238 | .395 | .349 | 172 | 4 | 34 | |
| 3B | Ryan Jaros* | So. | .343 | .511 | .543 | 35 | 1 | 8 | Georgia Tech |
| SS | Justin DeCriscio* | Sr. | .308 | .372 | .419 | 198 | 3 | 42 | San Diego |
| OF | Josh Hogue | Jr. | .314 | .398 | .450 | 163 | 4 | 28 | |
| OF | Ty Head | Fr. | Windermere HS – Winderemere, Fla. | ||||||
| OF | Trenton Lyons* | So. | .256 | .326 | .282 | 39 | 0 | 3 | Ole Miss |
| DH | Matt Ossenfort* | So. | .182 | .250 | .546 | 11 | 1 | 1 | Vanderbilt |
| Pos | Player | Year | GS | IP | b | WHIP | SO | BB | Note |
| SP | Dominic Fritton | Jr. | 17 | 73 | 7.64 | 1.63 | 72 | 47 | |
| SP | Ryan Marohn | So. | 10 | 59 | 3.97 | 1.58 | 46 | 25 | |
| SP | Matt Willadsen | Sr. | Injured | ||||||
| RP | Derrick Smith | Jr. | 0 | 29.2 | 4.55 | 1.01 | 41 | 11 | |
| RP | Jacob Dudan | So. | 0 | 48 | 4.50 | 1.48 | 56 | 34 |
