What RHP Jacob Dudan's season-ending injury means for NC State's pitching staff moving forward

There are two words that every high-level pitcher never wants to hear in succession: Tommy John. It’s an occupational hazard, one that most flamethrowing aces are aware of, but they never want to have to go through the grueling rehabilitation process to come back from it.  In NC State’s case, it has dealt with it for each of the past three seasons. In 2024, the year in which the Wolfpack made a run to the College World Series, it did so without Matt Willadsen after he injured his elbow on the first day of practice. Last season, it was standout reliever Shane Van Dam, who missed almost the entire season with the same injury.  And, now, it’s junior right-hander Jacob Dudan that will miss the rest of the campaign due to an elbow injury. He underwent an MRI this week after experiencing arm discomfort following his 7.2-inning outing that featured 116 pitches on Saturday against Notre Dame.  The Pack’s worst-case scenario is the one that played out once doctors reviewed the scans, deeming him a candidate for Tommy John surgery. The news broke Thursday evening, which TheWolfpacker.com confirmed in short order.  Where does NC State go from here without one of its most-steady pitchers on staff? It will be a team effort to replace the hard-throwing starter, beginning with this weekend’s series against Duke at Doak Field.