Freshman Spotlight: North Carolina State’s Jacob Dudan Could Be Wolfpack’s X-Factor
Image credit: Jacob Dudan (Photo by NC State Athletics)
While he flew rather under the radar coming out of high school, righthander Jacob Dudan made serious noise this fall. He received some draft interest after posting a 1.54 ERA with 71 strikeouts across 45.1 innings in his senior season at Lake Norman Charter (Huntersville, N.C.), but it was not enough to sway him from his commitment to the Wolfpack. Throughout his prep career, Dudan’s stuff got better and better, and the North Carolina State staff is getting him at the perfect time.
Just Getting Started
At 6-foot-2 and 185-pounds, Dudan has a wiry frame with some physical projection remaining. He has a high leg lift and features plus arm speed while attacking out of a three-quarter slot. There is some effort in Dudan’s operation, and he features a bit of a head whack, but both can be toned down somewhat easily.
Dudan throws both a two-seam and four-seam fastball, and both will sit in the 93-96 range. The traits of each pitch are almost identical, but his two-seamer unsurprisingly features more running life to the arm side. His four-seamer this fall has been up to 97 with some ride. It is a pitch that regularly generates spin rates in the 2,500-2,600 RPM range, which is above the Major League average.
Dudan’s calling card is his lethal mid-80s slider. It flashes sharp, two-plane break with sweeping life as well as some depth. He throws the pitch with conviction, and he maintains his arm speed from a slightly lower release height. Like his fastball, Dudan’s slider is also a high-spin offering and consistently generates spin rates above 2,900 RPM—a mark that is also above the Major League average. It grades out as plus and profiles as a true out pitch.
He leans heavily on his fastball-slider combination, but Dudan this fall has also spent time developing a mid-80s changeup. It is inconsistent, but at times will flash quality fading life to the arm side. The biggest key for Dudan will be improving his strike-throwing ability. He has the fall off towards the first base side, and improving his direction will go a long way in doing so.
Dudan’s Future
As for his role this spring, Dudan projects to pitch primarily out of the bullpen given the Wolfpack’s returning depth on the mound. On top of the veteran trio of Sam Highfill (6-4, 4.83 ERA), Matt Willadsen (5-5, 3.78 ERA) and Logan Whitaker (5-3, 4.29 ERA), the Wolfpack also welcome back electric lefthander and top five–round draft prospect Dominic Fritton (3-4, 3.59 ERA), who figures to pitch full time in the weekend rotation.
Even with how deep the pitching staff is, Dudan’s arm is far too talented to not trot out on a somewhat regular basis. His current arsenal profiles best in a late-inning role, but he is on track to join the weekend rotation as a sophomore. Dudan is signed to play for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer, and he will have the opportunity to log meaningful innings and add polish to his profile. Dudan has an incredibly high ceiling, and if he can add a viable third pitch to his arsenal and establish himself as a pro-level starter, he has top two–round upside in 2026.
