After rough start to college career, NC State’s Alex Sosa breaks through in rout of Norfolk State

After NC State freshman catcher Alex Sosa impressed through his first two collegiate games in mid-February — three hits and a pair of RBI in seven at-bats — things took a tumble. 

First, it was a bout with mononucleosis. That kept the budding power hitter sidelined for nearly a month. But when he was set to return to the field, another curveball was sent his way: the flu, which infected almost half the Wolfpack roster in early March. 

It led to a canceled midweek game against Winthrop, and for Sosa, it meant recovering from yet another illness. He was trying to put the weight back on he had lost from battling mono, but that had to be halted for a week as he pushed through the sickness that went through the locker room. 

The back-to-back illnesses led to Sosa joking he was going to wear a mask around campus as he tried to avoid another thing that would hinder his play.

Sosa, the No. 125 prospect in last year’s MLB draft before he arrived in Raleigh, soon returned to the lineup and he added four more hits with four RBI in his next three games. But then the frustration set in. 

The Viera, Fla., native went 14 straight appearances without a hit. He went 0-for-37 with four walks and two runs scored, and it seemed like nothing was going to go his way. 

That was until he earned his 15th start of the season against Norfolk State on Tuesday night. He went 2-for-3 with a single, a two-run home run, three RBI and three runs scored to help the Wolfpack to a run-ruled shortened 18-0 win at Doak Field. 

Sosa’s bat was unlocked. 

“It definitely felt good,” Sosa said with a wide smile afterwards. “It’s good to see the boys all rooting for me. At the end of the day, it’s just a reminder of what I can do and it feels good.”

He opened the second inning with a single before uncorking a two-run blast to right field. Sosa’s towering shot left no doubt where that ball was headed, and it marked his second homer of the season — the first of his career at home. 

That single, which ended his marathon of a hitless streak, seemed to be the key to Sosa’s way of finding that ability that made him a top prospect in the draft. 

“It just loosened me up,” Sosa said. “It brought the smile back and everything just rolled after that.”

Sosa helped power the Wolfpack in a game that saw 10 players record an RBI (five of them had multiple) and 11 hitters scored at least one run. While the first-year catcher found success again, the Pack won its first midweek game since a 9-8 win over Coastal Carolina on March 19 — ironically, the last time Sosa had a hit. 

Though Sosa was unlucky — both at the plate and with his health — he found ways to push through it. That meant leaning on his friends and family, including the countless text messages of encouragement, while also trying to have some fun with it. 

“Just understanding not to get caught up in the situation,” Sosa said of dealing with his frustration. “Just kind of laugh everything off — that’s what I was doing towards the end of that streak. Just finding the excitement in the small things and just laughing to get back to myself.”

Eventually, he found a way to get back to himself, even though it was not as easy as he had hoped his freshman year would have gone. 

NC State coach Elliott Avent, a 28-year veteran in the dugout with the Wolfpack, noted what he saw from Sosa during the rough patch. 

“Sometimes this game can get to you,” Avent said. “He didn’t come back the way he [was playing] before those things happened. So it’s been good to see him keep working, keep staying the course because this game can deflate you a little bit and make you think all kinds of things.”

Now, Sosa seems to be back in the form he was in at the beginning of the season. That will be key for NC State, which has two top-15 series left at No. 10 Virginia and against No. 12 Wake Forest to close the regular season. 

The Pack will need Sosa’s bat in the order, especially without left fielder Josh Hogue for the rest of the year, while he can also give preseason All-American catcher Jacob Cozart a break from behind the dish. 

For fellow freshman Ryan Marohn, who fired 4.2 innings of scoreless baseball against the Spartans with Sosa behind the plate, seeing his classmate do well brought joy to his face.

“It’s really good to see him back,” Marohn said. “He had a really good game, so I’m happy we have another weapon in our lineup.”