NC State’s 2026 season took a significant hit as multiple sources have confirmed that JR RHP Jacob Dudan will require Tommy John Surgery for a torn UCL, ending his season and dealing a significant blow to the Wolfpack.
A potential 1st round pick in this year’s MLB Draft before the injury, this likely marks the end of Dudan’s Wolfpack career as he will still be a top three round draft pick come July. The junior from Huntersville was 4-1 with a 3.60 ERA this year over 50.0 innings, spanning eight starts. He had a 30.4 K% against a 5.9 BB% with hitters mustering just a .229 batting average against him.
The clear question here is around the workload that the team was placing on Dudan. Transitioning from his role as a high-leverage bullpen arm in 2024 and 2025, Dudan threw 100+ pitches in each of his last six starts, including 110+ in four of the last five. Given the high velocity and a heavy slider mix for the righty, it’s fair to question if he should have been allowed to work such high pitch counts.
With Dudan out, JR LHP Cooper Consiglio will likely slide into the weekend rotation, joining JR LHP Ryan Marohn and JR RHP Heath Andrews. That in turn pulls a valuable arm from an already thin bullpen for State.
