Several former NC State baseball players joined the professional ranks during the 2023 MLB Draft. After the three-day event, five players from the 2023 roster were drafted: third baseman LuJames “Gino” Groover III, outfielder Carter Trice, left-handed pitcher Rio Britton, right-handed pitcher Justin Lawson and shortstop Kalae Harrison.
Groover was the first Pack player off the board, selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks as the No. 48 overall pick — despite most projections predicting Groover around the No. 70 pick. Groover landed with one of the better teams in baseball, as Arizona is in second place within the NL West division. Meanwhile, Arizona’s top two affiliate squads — the Reno Aces and Amarillo Sod Poodles — also have winning records and are likely where Groover will begin his professional career.
Wherever Groover plays, he’ll provide a quality bat that will undoubtedly boost the rest of his lineup’s average. The Diamondbacks current third baseman, Emmanuel Rivera, is a replaceable starter, so Groover will have a shot to reach “The Show” sooner rather than later. The clutch Wolfpack star seems to have found an excellent fit.
After Groover, there were no Wolfpack players selected until round 12, when the Chicago Cubs drafted Trice. The Old Dominion transfer only spent one year in Raleigh and had an up-and-down season, but he offers an intriguing upside for the Cubs to tap into. With a combination of speed and power hitting, Trice could develop into a quality player at the plate for Chicago if he improves his consistency. Early on, Trice could wind up with relatively local minor league affiliates, such as the Tennessee Smokies or the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
In the 15th round, Britton was reunited with Groover when Arizona selected him with the No. 445 pick. The West Coast native is a left-handed pitcher that showed great improvement as the season progressed. By the end of the season, Britton was a key member of the bullpen and helped fuel the Pack’s late-season surge.
Before the 15th round ended, another Wolfpack pitcher went off the board as the New York Mets selected Lawson with the No. 456 pick. After a strong season —which included a 3.27 ERA and 5-0 record — Lawson showed his ability to be a steady presence on the mound.
The final Wolfpack player drafted was Harrison, taken in the 18th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Texas A&M transfer showed significant improvement at the plate, improving his batting average from .162 to .313 in 2023 Additionally, Harrison is a strong fielder, boasting an impressive .981 fielding average. With continued improvement at the plate, Harrison will look to stick in the professional ranks after a breakout year in Raleigh.
After a bounceback year for the Pack9 and a return to the NCAA tournament, five Pack players were rewarded with a ticket to professionals. With multiple key contributors not eligible for the draft, the red-and-white returns plenty of talent, such as sophomore catcher Jacob Cozart, for 2024 that will look to follow in the footsteps of this year’s class.
