D1Baseball Ranks NC State’s Jacob Dudan as the #83 SP Heading Into 2026

D1Baseball has released its 2026 Preseason Starting Pitcher Rankings, and NC State’s Jacob Dudan checks in at No. 83 nationally.

After spending his first two seasons in Raleigh working out of the bullpen, Dudan now enters Year 3 with a new role and a new opportunity in the starting rotation.

Freshman Season

Dudan wasted no time making a name for himself in 2024. As a true freshman, he earned Freshman All-American honors and landed on the ACC All-Freshman Team after a strong debut campaign.

Freshman Statistics

• Record: 4-2
• ERA: 4.50
• Innings Pitched: 48
• Strikeouts: 56
• Opponent Batting Average: .218
• Saves: 6

His ability to miss bats was evident from the start. The fastball had life, the secondary stuff had bite, and opposing hitters struggled to square him up consistently.

Sophomore Season

Entering 2025, expectations were sky-high. D1Baseball ranked him as the No. 1 relief pitcher in the preseason. While he didn’t quite meet that lofty billing, he still showed improvement in key areas.

Sophomore Statistics

• Record: 2-2
• ERA: 3.90
• Innings Pitched: 30
• Strikeouts: 41
• Opponent Batting Average: .250
• Saves: 5

His ERA dropped, and his strikeout rate remained strong. Even when he wasn’t dominating every outing, the electric stuff never disappeared.

The Move to the Rotation

Now comes the biggest storyline of his collegiate career.

Dudan is moving from the bullpen into NC State’s starting rotation in 2026.

Last season, he made the only start of his career against Campbell on March 5th. In that outing, he threw three scoreless innings, striking out six batters while allowing no hits and no walks. It was a glimpse of what he might look like stretched out over multiple innings.

The question entering this season isn’t whether Dudan has the stuff. It’s whether he can harness it consistently over 5–6 innings at a time.

Ace-Level Potential?

Since arriving in Raleigh, Dudan has been one of the most electric arms in NC State’s arsenal. The swing-and-miss ability is real. The confidence is real. The competitiveness is obvious.

If he can put it all together in Year 3, Jacob Dudan has the ability to flash ace-level talent as NC State’s Day 2 starter.

And if that happens, No. 83 nationally might look very conservative by midseason.