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NC State Keeps It Rolling With Second Puerto Rico Challenge Win

The Wolfpack bats were firing on all cylinders for the second-straight game.
Tucker Sennett|
Jun 15, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent talks with an official during the seventh inning against the Kentucky Wildcats at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Jun 15, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent talks with an official during the seventh inning against the Kentucky Wildcats at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

NC State baseball continued to smash baseballs in the early part of the season, earning a second-straight victory to start the 2026 campaign at the Puerto Rico Challenge. The Wolfpack took down Indiana State 10-4 on Saturday in Ponce, Puerto Rico, quickly establishing the tone in the morning affair against the Sycamores.

It was another huge day for the transfer class that head coach Elliott Avent added to help push the Wolfpack over the top in its quest for postseason glory. It also marked a new milestone for junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Dudan, who started for the first time of the season in his new role as the No. 2 starter for the team.

Wolfpack lineup and stats

  1. CF Ty Head: 0-3, 2 BB
  2. LF Chris McHugh: 2-5, 2 RBI
  3. 2B Luke Nixon: 1-5, RBI
  4. 1B Dalton Bargo: 2-5, HR
  5. RF Brayden Fraasman: 3-5, RBI
  6. DH Andrew Wiggins: 1-3, RBI, 2 BB
  7. SS Mikey Ryan: 1-5
  8. 3B Wyatt Peifer: 1-4
  9. C Drew Lanphere: 1-1, 2 RBI, 2 BB

RHP Jacob Dudan: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 K, W
RHP Sam Harris: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K
RHP Aiden Kitchings: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 K
RHP Truitt Manuel: 0.1 IP

How the Wolfpack got it done

Saturday's effort started with Jacob Dudan in his first start of the 2026 season. After primarily working as a reliever during 2024 and 2025, the strong righty started his junior year with a quality start, earning a win without giving up a run. While he struck out just two Sycamores in the victory, it was nonetheless a solid start for a player who figures to be a key part of any success the Pack might have.

Dudan's start was boosted by another strong performance from the Wolfpack lineup, headlined once again by Tennessee transfer Dalton Bargo, who started at first base for the second straight game. Bargo smashed a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning to give NC State a lead it never relinquished. The senior is hitting .500 after two games wearing State colors.

The sizable lead allowed Avent and his staff to get a look at some of the younger arms out of the bullpen, with freshmen pitchers Aiden Kitchings and Sam Harris combining for five strikeouts in the Wolfpack's second win of the 2026 campaign.

NC State is set to wrap up the Puerto Rico Challenge on Sunday, facing Seton Hall in the third game of the event.

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Tucker Sennett
TUCKER SENNETT

Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.

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