Alex Sosa helps NC State’s offense set tone to open postseason play

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Off the bat, he wasn’t sure whether it was going to get out or not. NC State’s freshman designated hitter smashed a line drive to right at Truist Field. Would it get over the fence? He wasn’t so sure about that. 

Alex Sosa sprinted down the first base line for a few steps until he saw umpire Craig Barron waving his hand around. It, indeed, went over the fence for a three-run blast in the third inning against Virginia Tech. 

The Viera, Fla., native’s third home run in four games capped a six-run frame for the Wolfpack, which appeared to give NC State all the breathing room it needed. It beat the Hokies 19-9 on Wednesday night to open the red and white’s stay in the Queen City. 

Sosa’s bat — 2-for-4 with a team-best five RBI and the home run — helped set the tone for NC State’s offense in the postseason. The Wolfpack had only eclipsed 15 runs four times in the regular season, but it managed a season best in runs to open the postseason. 

That’ll do. 

But where did this power surge come from for Sosa after an 0-for-37 stretch earlier this season? He’s 9-for-23 in his last seven games with four home runs and 15 RBI. 

It all has to do with his attitude. 

“I think the biggest adjustment that I made was staying positive with myself and building off the slight successes that I had along that stretch,” Sosa said. “Just having fun, laughing — the same way I’ve always played the game, having a good time and playing loose.”

Sosa’s smile was pretty wide for much of the eighth-inning run-rule contest against the Hokies and it stayed that way afterwards in the postgame press conference.

So was his coach, Elliott Avent. The man that has spent the last 28 years at the helm of the Wolfpack admired Sosa’s ability to replicate all of his at-bats against the Hokies — even though some didn’t end the way NC State might have wanted them to. 

“He had some really, really good at-bats,” Avent said. “People will remember the line drive home run and obviously that got us up 6-0, which is probably a big dip in that game, but every one of his at-bats were the same.”

While Sosa’s bat has been a welcomed sight to NC State’s lineup, the order has produced for most of the year through its top four bats. Graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz has been the stable force, leading the team with a .373 batting average to go with 19 home runs and 71 RBI, while graduate first baseman Garrett Pennington is just behind him with a .352 average, 14 homers and 59 RBI. 

That duo paces the top of the order, while junior catcher Jacob Cozart has 16 home runs and 47 RBI and sophomore outfielder Eli Serrano III has six blasts and 35 RBI. 

After that group, the consistent power diminishes, though the rest of the order is more than capable of working the count and getting on base. Against the Hokies, the six of the 10 Wolfpack batters logged at least two hits with Makarewicz and Pennington recording four each. 

“I think we’ve really been grinding at-bats for a long time now,” Avent said. “We’ve got a good offensive team, obviously. It’s a long season, you go through a lot. … These guys, the last whatever of the season, have really grinded at-bats. They really fed off each other, knowing ‘I don’t have to do it, I just need to pass it to the next guy.’”

That has been the key to NC State’s surge down the stretch, winning five ranked ACC series, but Sosa’s routine success has changed the view of the bottom of the order. 

Now, he’s in the seven hole with an opportunity to drive in speedsters like junior shortstop Brandon Butterworth and the Nixon brothers, Chase and Luke, when he’s at the plate. That has allowed the slugger to rack up 21 RBI this spring. 

“We’ve got a lineup, 1-9, that can contribute,” Avent said. “It’s made it tough for pitching staffs.”

The next set of arms that gets the pleasure of facing the Wolfpack’s balanced lineup is Duke, the sixth-seed in the ACC Tournament. The two teams will square off Thursday night with a trip to the league semifinals on the line. 

Though there will be more stakes on the line in this game, Sosa embodies a confident, yet humble player. That shined through after his big night at the plate, and he is looking to do the same against the Blue Devils. 

“Every game we play is exciting,” Sosa said. “I’m just treating every game the same, honestly. This is just another step to where we want to be.”