NC State baseball roster prospectus: Bullpen
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 bullpen is one of the most crucial components of that.
Here is an early prospectus on the NC State bullpen for the 2023 season.
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NC State Baseball Bullpen Prospectus
A NC State bullpen that struggled with inconsistency last season, especially late in the year, lost the most consistent performer in closer Chris Villaman, who signed with the Tampa Bay Rays after being drafted in the ninth round.
Villaman sported a 3.40 earned run average (ERA) over 55.2 innings and had 11 saves in his 28 appearances, which were all in relief. Impressively, Villaman struck out 85 while giving up just 44 hits.
There are some returning arms, however, that produced valuable contributions last year for NC State.
Entering May, righthander Justin Lawson had a 1.80 ERA. Like many in the NC State pen, May proved to be a tougher month for Lawson, who surrendered an earned run in six of his final seven appearances and finished the year with a 3.82 ERA over 19 games, which included a pair of starts. In 37.2 innings, Lawson allowed 37 hits and 18 walks but struck out 41 and was at times a very effective long reliever.
Lawson is similar to righty Garrett Payne in that he may be a contender for a starting role next year for NC State. Payne pitched well for the first two months of the season, sporting a 2.78 ERA entering April.
However, Payne finished with a 5.91 ERA over 20 appearances, five of which were starts. He allowed 47 hits over 42.2 innings and 22 walks while fanning 43.
In his rookie season for NC State, righty Carson Kelly made a positive first impression, pitching 30.0 innings in 18 games and allowed 24 hits and 17 walks while striking out 32 for a 4.50 ERA.
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Righthander Baker Nelson made his return from injury to pitch in 20 games last season. He struck out 32 while walking 13 over 23.2 innings but faded down the stretch, allowing 10 earned runs in his four appearances in May, which spanned 5.1 innings.
Among those who may be in line for an increased role is 6-foot-7, 245-pound lefty John Miralia, who flashed at times in eight appearances last season, striking out eight batters over 6.0 innings. In his last outing of the year, Miralia threw two perfect innings while fanning two against Wake Forest.
During the offseason, NC State baseball added three pitchers who also figure to be in the mix for bullpen help, including a pair of lefties in Oregon’s Rio Britton and Clemson’s P.J. Labriola.
Britton just completed his second season for the Ducks and threw 39.1 innings over 34 appearances, surrendering 25 hits and allowing a .188 batting average. Britton walked 20 but struck out 35.
He had a 4-1 record on the mound with a save while registering a 3.20 ERA.
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Labriola appeared in 16 games, all in relief, last season as a redshirt sophomore for the Tigers and had a 5.06 ERA, giving up 15 hits and five walks in 10.2 innings but also impressively striking out 16 batters. He did not face NC State when the Pack won a series at Clemson.
Also transferring to NC State is hard-throwing Oklahoma transfer Creed Watkins.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder from Duncan, Okla., pitched just one game for the Sooners in 2022. Prior to that, Watkins pitched at Seminole State College. In 12 games there in 2001, Watkins registered a 2.70 ERA and a save in 12 games. He struck out 25 batters over 16.2 innings while allowing 10 hits and walking 11.
This summer, Watkins has been clocked at 99 miles per hour while pitching in the MLB Draft League.
