Ryan Maron Out of Another Series For NC State Baseball: What it Means

RALEIGH — NC State baseball is heading into the most important part of the 2026 season with just two weekend series left and an NCAA Tournament résumé in need of some bolstering to solidify itself in the field of 64. The program traveled from coast to coast for a three-game conference set against the Stanford Cardinal, set to begin on Friday.

Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, junior left-handed pitcher Ryan Marohn will not be ready to make his return to the weekend rotation, landing on the injury list once again. It will be Marohn's fourth-straight missed start as he deals with an arm issue that caused problems during the early part of the year. Without Marohn, head coach Elliott Avent will need to get creative in another series, as he's done the last few weeks with varying degrees of success.

How will NC State adjust?

The Wolfpack could go a few different ways for the weekend series against the Cardinal. According to the Stanford game notes, NC State will pivot from struggling junior right-handed pitcher Heath Andrews as the Friday fill-in starter for Marohn. The first starter listed for the Pack, although it's not specific for which game, is freshman lefty Luke Hemric, who has been solid as a Sunday and midweek starter in his first collegiate season, pitching to a 4.57 ERA so far.

If Hemric goes on Friday, that would set up Cooper Consiglio, the team's wily junior southpaw, in the Saturday slot. Consiglio could also easily be slotted into the Friday starting spot, replacing the struggling Andrews, who could move to Saturday or Sunday in theory. Consiglio has been one of the steadiest arms in the entire staff in 2026, working his way to a 3-3 record.

Freshman left-handed pitcher Luke Hemric (far left) high fives his teammates during NC State's 10-3 victory over East Carolina in Greenville, N.C., on April 14, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

After throwing 113 pitches in relief in a monumental performance against Miami last weekend, some believe sophomore righty Anderson Nance deserves a shot as a starting pitcher. In theory, they are probably correct, but the Wolfpack needs Nance in the bullpen more than it needs him as a starter, as he can come in for any situation and mop up, unlike any pitcher on the roster or in the ACC, for that matter.

Andrews is struggling mightily, so moving him back to a Sunday start could be the shift he needs to get comfortable once again. Avent and pitching coach Clint Chrysler intentionally left things open for interpretation for at least one game as the gamesmanship continues down the stretch, with both Jacob Dudan out for the season and Marohn still on the shelf for the time being.

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