NC State LHP Dominic Fritton continues Friday consistency as Pack rides 10-game winning streak

When Dominic Fritton sits in the dugout in the middle of a start, he tries to keep his focus zeroed in on the opposing team’s batters. By the time NC State’s hitting order has two outs, Fritton usually will begin to stretch to get ready for another inning of work. 

If the Wolfpack’s frame goes long, the lefty will toss a weighted ball near the bench to keep his arm warm. He had to do a lot of that in the fifth and sixth innings of NC State’s 11-1 win over Virginia Tech on Friday night at Doak Field as the Wolfpack posted five runs in each in the rout of the Hokies. 

While Fritton had the run support needed to help NC State to the ACC-opening victory, his standout Friday night start seemed to set the tone as the offense took a few frames to warm up. 

The Fuquay-Varina, N.C., native went all seven innings of the run-rule victory as he allowed just one run on two hits with two walks and eight strikeouts on 117 pitches. He got ahead in most counts to keep his pitch count in a manageable spot all night, which allowed the Wolfpack to preserve its bullpen for Saturday’s doubleheader to wrap the series. 

There wasn’t any doubt in Fritton’s mind that he wasn’t going to go the distance as the Pack’s offense rolled through the Hokies. He wanted the ball.

“I was just trying to give them everything I had,” Fritton said with a smirk afterwards. “I knew they wanted to give me the opportunity to finish it, so I had to lock in the best I could.”

Well, everything he had ended up being good news for the Wolfpack. Fritton allowed two walks and an RBI single in the first inning, but he then retired 18 of the last 19 batters he faced — a one-out single in the third was the only blemish — to cruise to his third victory on the mound this season. 

Fritton is starting to find a rhythm on the bump this spring, something he struggled to find as a sophomore following his Freshman All-America campaign in the 2023 season. The lefty seemed to force pitches a year ago, which caused his ERA to balloon to 7.64 with a 72 strikeout-to-47-walk ratio. He completed six innings just once a year ago, as he struggled to make it two times through the order throughout the spring.

The junior was adamant about finding a fix this offseason. He didn’t wait long after NC State’s season ended at the College World Series in Omaha, either. Fritton worked on himself — mostly on the mental side of the game — to return to Raleigh with a new mentality. 

Now, Fritton has a weekly routine that he sticks to, which has helped keep him in a stable spot on the mound. He meets with Wolfpack pitching coach Clint Chrysler to go over his previous start, looking for ways to improve before deploying them on the mound. 

The result has led to a Fritton that resembles his freshman-year self. 

 “I feel like I’m in a much better place mentally,” Fritton said. “I have more belief in myself and what I can do.”

Self-belief is a strong trait. It has helped Fritton find consistency in his Friday-night starts. He has tossed at least six innings with only one earned run, two or fewer walks and at least eight strikeouts in each of his last three outings. That was a stat line that Fritton wasn’t able to hit once last season.

But now, Fritton is in a groove. He holds a 1.26 ERA with 11 runs allowed (just four earned), 13 walks, 39 strikeouts and one extra-base hit conceded through 28.2 innings pitched in his first five starts this spring. 

For Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent, who’s in his 29th season at the helm of the program, seeing Fritton find success over multiple starts in a row after a crucial last few months of his development appeared to bring immense joy to his face.

“I know how hard he worked in the offseason and this fall,” Avent said. “When a player works that hard, you don’t always get rewarded in this game. … To see him get rewarded, it’s pretty special to all of us.”

Fritton was able to cruise through his most recent start. It was the most dominant he’s looked all season — against a Virginia Tech order that had hit 50 doubles, six triples and 21 home runs through the first 17 games. 

Not only that, but he got stronger and stronger the longer his outing went. It’s exactly what the Wolfpack is looking to get from its ace on a weekly basis. 

Now, it seems, it’s all starting to click.

“Fritton, he just hit another level,” Avent said. “He was incredible.”