NC State baseball roster prospectus: Catcher
With the MLB Draft now in the books and the transfer portal activity starting to slow, NC State baseball is beginning to get an idea of how the roster is shaping up. The catcher position has one very important returnee from last season, but the proven depth has taken a hit due to attrition in the offseason.
Here is an early prospectus on the NC State catcher position for the 2023 season.
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NC State Baseball Catcher Prospectus
Stepping in as a true freshman catcher at the ACC level is a challenging assignment, but NC State rookie Jacob Cozart did an admirable job during his rookie season for the Wolfpack.
NC State baseball had a three-way competition for the catcher spot during the preseason before Cozart was able to separate himself. He would start 42 games while playing in 52 during the season. Cozart batted .240 with four homers and eight doubles in 146 at bats.
He was hitting his best stride at the end of the season, raising his batting average over 50 points during the month of May.
Behind the plate, Cozart threw out 9 of 37 would-be base stealers, or 24.3 percent. He did allow 12 passed balls, but that improved as the season unfolded. After he had a pair against Georgia Tech on March 26, Cozart gave up just one for the remainder of the year, a span of 31 NC State baseball games.
The biggest question about catcher is the depth behind Cozart at NC State.
Jacob Godman entered the transfer portal after playing in 23 games last spring, including making 14 starts for the Pack. Godman hit 9 of 36 at the plate with a double and was 2 for 7 on nailing base stealers.
Elon transfer Matt Oldham played nine games and started twice in his one season of eligibility at NC State, going 3 for 12 at the plate with a double.
NC State baseball inked a pair of catchers in the 2022 recruiting class. Graham Smiley from Denver (N.C.) East Lincoln High was rated by Perfect Game as the No. 330 prospect in the country and the No. 20 catcher nationally.
The next catcher in the rankings is also headed to NC State — Mechanicsville (Va.) standout Cannon Peebles, who is additionally rated by Perfect Game as the No. 344 player in the 2022 class nationally.
The question is will that be enough for NC State baseball coach Elliott Avent, or will the Wolfpack continue to pursue potential additional catcher depth via the transfer portal. While most of the lineup in the field looks fairly deep, catcher could be the one position that could be up for debate whether the roster is fully settled.
