People close to Jason Duncan say he’s ready for it.

After three years as a reliever at N.C. State, the senior is moving back into the starting role he became accustomed to in high school.

“I’ve never seen him work as hard as he has this year — it’s something he’s wanted to do,” Bruce Duncan, Jason’s father, said.

Junior pitcher Gib Hobson, who threw a no-hitter last season against Maryland, has played baseball with Duncan since the two were 10 years old.

The pair played together in AAU, and the two were a part of the same pitching staff at North Forsyth High School.

This season, at least for now, Duncan and Hobson are two of the three weekend starters for the Wolfpack, as the team tries to solidify its rotation leading up to conference play.

Hobson said Duncan is making a smooth adjustment so far.

“All through high school and things like that, he was always the starter, and he adjusted well to the bullpen his last few years here,” Hobson said. “He’s definitely going to help us out in the starting rotation this year.”

Junior catcher Caleb Mangum added the senior from Winston-Salem has success on the mound because of his command over so many pitches.

“Guys [who] come in [who] throw hard, who have a good fastball but don’t have an off-speed [pitch] or don’t have an off-pitch or something like that, they’re easier to hit because all you’ve got to do is sit on one pitch,” Mangum said. “But with him, you can’t do that. Just to throw all four of his pitches for strikes — that’s what makes him so good.”

Duncan had 21 consecutive scoreless innings out of the bullpen at one point last season.

Coach Elliott Avent said being on a staff with other dominant pitchers often meant Duncan received little credit for his success.

“He did an unbelievable job and sometimes went unnoticed because your starter gives you six and you throw Jason out for a couple and everybody’s waiting for Joey Devine to come in, and you almost forget the seventh and the eighth,” Avent said. “But Jason was unbelievable for us last year and played a big role in our success.”

Being a relief pitcher requires usually one or two and usually no more than three innings of work, but Duncan is now counted on for more innings as a starter.

He said the new expectations require a fresh outlook about his time on the mound.

“Going into the game, I guess I feel like I coast sometimes here when I’ve been starting,” Duncan said. “But out of the bullpen, I know I’m focused on each and every pitch, and I’ve got to get that same mindset being a starter.”

As he spends more time pitching, his body is challenged differently than it has been at other times in college.

Because of this new challenge, pitching coach Chris Roberts said he came up with a specific workout plan to prepare Duncan for his role as a starter.

“We’ve kind of designed a little bit of a conditioning program for him,” Roberts said. “It’s a little different than what some of the other guys use.”

Part of the program included working out on a treadmill after his four-inning outing against Hofstra.

“He only threw four in the game, but I wanted him to exert seven innings worth of energy,” Roberts said. “So we’ve kind of tailored it to him and what’s going to make him better.”

Duncan pitched five innings in his latest outing, a 12-5 victory over Richmond in Charleston, S.C. He gave up three runs on five hits and struck out six batters as he pushed his record as a starter to 3-0 for the season.

Hobson said his long-time teammate doesn’t get too high or too low on the field or off the field.

“I would have to say that his personality’s kind of more laidback, soft-spoken guy, and it kind of carries over on the field, on the mound. You never know whether he’s pitching a shutout or not having one of his better days,” Hobson said. “He kind of stays even keel, and his opponents never know whether or not they’re getting to him.”

As he closes in on the end of his college career and ponders his future, Duncan is clear on how he wants the next chapter of his life to read.

He hopes to pitch on the next level — Major League Baseball.

“I would definitely love the opportunity,” Duncan said. “That’s all I want is a chance, and I think I can take care of the rest, hopefully.”

His father speaks about the game that has become such an integral part of his son’s life.

He also knows the young man doesn’t want his career to end in two or three months.

“That’s what he’s working for,” Bruce Duncan said.

But for now, he’s starting.