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Wolfpack Getting Unexpected Offensive Production From Key Player

While it's only been three games thus far, NC State is getting some impressive hitting numbers from the catcher position.
Tucker Sennett|
Catcher Drew Lanphere celebrates a home run.
Catcher Drew Lanphere celebrates a home run. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

RALEIGH — As a redshirt sophomore, catcher Drew Lanphere scratched and clawed his way to opportunities during NC State's 2025 season, but never contributed enough offensively to earn a full-time role as the team's starting catcher. With the path opened in 2026, Lanphere's role behind the dish finally expanded and all of the patience he showed is paying off well.

Across the Wolfpack's 3-0 start to the season, Lanphere's bat has been a driving force for a sizable chunk of the team's run production. Trusting the process got the catcher this far and now it's all coming together in a crucial season for the veteran.

More on Lanphere performance

In 36 games, which included 23 starts, in 2025, Lanphere hit just .217 with 14 RBI and one home run. His on-base percentage ended at .383. While the sample size is tiny so far in 2026, the Wolfpack is getting a completely different version of its catcher, whose confidence at the plate as a hitter is helping the Pack hang crooked numbers frequently throughout the first three games.

His 2-for-2 day against Winthrop was crucial in getting the Pack the 7-3 victory, as he finished with four RBI, two of which came from a two-run home run to the creek in right field at Doak Field. After three games, Lanphere is hitting .714 with 7 RBI, having already matched his 2025 home run total with his blast on Tuesday.

"It feels really good, obviously," Lanphere said after the 7-3 win. "If you want to have that many RBI, guys have to get on base and everything like that, so just trying to get our guys on base and drive them in any way you can."

The transition to more of an everyday role began for Lanphere all the way back during fall ball, as he adjusted to working with the pitching staff with greater frequency. That potentially helped his bat come along, as there was more routine with his catching duties, allowing him to spend extended time on his hitting, something paying off big in the early part of the 2026 campaign.

"You're able to get into a routine and everything like that, trying to stick to the routine and just go day-by-day," Lanphere said.

The Wolfpack can only hope the offensive production from its catcher is somewhat sustainable, even to a slightly lesser degree, throughout the rest of the season. That would take an already strong lineup to even greater heights.

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Tucker Sennett
TUCKER SENNETT

Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.

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