Hemric, Other Young Wolfpack Pitchers Shine in Big Test Against ECU

GREENVILLE, N.C. — After its rotation took a major hit last week with news of Jacob Dudan's season-ending injury coming to light, NC State needed more out of its younger arms as it enters a key stretch in the second half of the 2026 season. Freshman lefty Luke Hemric stepped up in a big way during the team's 10-3 road win over in-state rival ECU, earning his second win of the year.

"This is a freshman who is going to have an outstanding career here at NC State and he just continues to grow," head coach Elliott Avent said about the lefty. "Right now, it's exactly what we need."

Hemric thrives in Greenville

Luke Hemric walks off the field during 7-3 win over Winthrop | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

The freshman pitcher put together a workmanlike performance, navigating out of some drama in the first inning without giving up a run and settling in from there. Knowing he was on a pitch count for the day with a big weekend series coming up, Hemric made the most out of his four innings of work, striking out seven ECU batters and mowing through a quality lineup in its own ballpark.

"Coming into ECU, it's a little bit of a hostile environment and I was a little nervous up there in the first inning. It was kind of my first true road start," Hemric said. "Just settling in and doing the best I can to help the team win was all I wanted to do, and it was important that we got the win today."

Luke works a scoreless first.

Due Up: Ryan, S. Johnson, Novy

E1 | Wolfpack 0, ECU 0 pic.twitter.com/a192iJ2FtB
— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) April 14, 2026

Avent said that he's been incredibly pleased with the growth from Hemric over the last few weeks in his first season as a member of the Wolfpack. Tuesday's game felt like a next step for a lot of reasons, as the lefty handled adversity in the form of a difficult venue and a battle-tested lineup on a perennial NCAA Tournament team in ECU. For Hemric, a North Carolina native, the matchup meant a lot.

"Being a kid from North Carolina, I always watched ECU and NC State growing up, so just being able to pitch in this kind of environment is a blessing," he said. "I'm just very blessed to be able to go out there and pitch the way that I did today."

A youth movement on the mound

Freshman right-handed pitcher Mikey Ragusa throws a pitch during his collegiate debut against East Carolina at Clark-LeClair Stadium on April 14, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

Hemric wasn't the only young pitcher to get the job done for the Wolfpack in the 10-3 win. Three true freshmen took the mound for NC State on Tuesday: Hemric, Mikey Ragusa and Aiden Kitchings. Ragusa took over for the starter in the fifth inning, making his collegiate debut for the Wolfpack after missing the early part of the season while recovering from an injury.

"Mikey was really good. You know, we've missed him," Avent said. "... It took forever (for him) to come back and then to get him ready to throw. I was encouraged by everyone who threw today."

A lovely day indeed. pic.twitter.com/7YvW7U8cvL
— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) April 15, 2026

While he was the star of the show in his four scoreless innings, Hemric still got to appreciate what his teammates did. Given his team-first mentality, it was no surprise to hear how proud he was of the other arms, including Ragusa, who took the mound at Clark-LeClair Stadium on Tuesday and shut down the Pirates.

"I think it speaks to our class and how deep our class really is," Hemric said. "... It's really important, especially for the future of this program and also just to be able to come out in this environment and have everyone... just all go out there and play to the best of their ability. It's super fun to watch."

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