Sound familiar? NC State Baseball adds player via transfer portal, loses another

And again we go... again!

NC State has added Oregon left-handed relief pitcher Rio Britton.

Serving as one of the Ducks’ top relievers in 2022, Britton tossed 39.1 innings of 3.20 ERA ball over 34 appearances (all in relief), allowing 16 runs (14 earned) on 25 hits, 20 walks, and 1 hit batter while striking out 35 batters. That 22.2 K% for the 6’2 Sacramento native is solid, but he’ll need to dramatically reduce that 12.7 BB% in Raleigh. The good news is that only one HBP would indicate he has some semblance of control.

Britton announced his transfer to NC State via an Instagram post with a #0 jersey bearing his name in the Wolfpack locker room.

Again, the transfer portal given and the transfer portal taketh away. This time it’s freshman outfielder Carter Lindsay who is on his way out of the Wolfpack baseball program. Lindsay, the 11th player in the transfer portal from the 2022 NC State team, was a developmental addition in last year’s freshman class. The athletic lefty from AC Reynolds High School was a two-sport star at the prep ranks, also playing receiver on the gridiron. It will be interesting to see if he continues his career on the diamond or transfers to play college football somewhere, although he is playing this summer for the Forest City Owls (along with former NC State player and current Charlotte slugger Will Butcher) of the Coastal Plains League, so that would indicate that he’s going to continue playing baseball.

A pair of Lindsay’s 2022 Wolfpack teammates and fellow transfer portal entrees have found their baseball homes for the 2023 season. RHP Logan Adams has committed to Georgia State and OF Brady Lavoie will head back to the west coast and finish out his career at San Diego State. Adams will enter a good situation in Atlanta for playing time. The Panthers will need to replace their entire starting rotation from 2022.

For Lavoie, he’ll have a bit of a battle to get into the starting lineup with the Aztecs. SDSU started a trio of freshman in the outfield this past year and all three are set to return (i.e. not in the transfer portal) in 2023. Granted, at the very least, Lavoie will add a power element that lacks in two of those three current Aztec outfielders.

In other NC State baseball news, the Wolfpack will again be well-represented at this year’s USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp. Infielder/Utility man Gino Groover has been invited while Elliott Avent, Josh Fisher, and Josh Pike will assist from a coaching perspective.