Despite a disappointing ending, the 2024 season was magical for the Duke Blue Devils. For the second time under head coach Chris Pollard, Duke won 40 games and won an ACC Tournament Championship. The Blue Devils made noise from the very first weekend in Conway, South Carolina after they scored 34 runs and hit 16 dingers over three games against Indiana, George Mason, and Coastal Carolina. An offense that some members of the media questioned in the preseason build-up went on to break the record for home runs in a season. Unfortunately, their season came to an end in the Norman Regional after losses to UConn and Oklahoma.
Coach Pollard and his staff are on the verge of knocking down the door that leads to Omaha. It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” at this point. Duke has some key departures including the likes of All-Americans Charlie Beilenson and Zac Morris, as well as draft picks Jonathan Santucci, Fran Oschell III, and Jimmy Romano. Productive leaders such as first baseman Logan Bravo and team captain Alex Stone graduated, while star center fielder Devin Obee transferred to Georgia. And yet Duke is once again reloaded with veteran transfer talent, talented sophomores, and key recruits. The Blue Devils our ranked #10 in our preseason poll and this very well could be the year they reach the College World Series.
Catchers (Starter Rank: 10, Group Rank: 8)
Alex Stone’s leadership and offensive consistency is a massive loss to the program as a whole, but Duke has two very talented backstops to replace him in senior Andrew Yu and sophomore Macon Winslow. In fact, there were a number of games last season where all three catchers were in the lineup. Winslow, whose bat was valued so much that he saw time in the outfield as a freshman, was ranked by Perfect Game as the #35 freshman to make it to campus in 2023. He experienced some ups-and-downs over the course of the year but gained valuable experience. He’s a trendy breakout pick after hitting .250 with 10 extra base hits in his first year.
Andrew Yu is a premium defensive catcher that has developed offensively over the past four years into a starting caliber backstop. The Nashville native slashed .311/.340/.556 with a .896 OPS in 45 at-bats in 2024. While Winslow has made strides defensively and has major offensive upside, he’ll likely split time with Yu over the course of the season.
Roman DiGiacomo has been part of Duke’s catching unit for a few years but is making the transition to being a full-time pitcher. True freshman Jay Slater will likely be the team’s third catcher. Slater is ranked 323rd on Perfect Game’s Top 500 Freshmen to Make it to Campus and will be able to develop behind Yu and Winslow.
Infield (Starter Rank: 6, Group Rank: 1)
If you’re wondering why we’ve ranked this group as the best in the ACC, it’s because they’ve got two starting-caliber players at every position along the infield. The second and first base jobs will likely be a battle right up until opening day, but the left side of their infield is set by two of the best. The Blue Devils return veteran stars in third baseman Ben Miller and shortstop Wallace Clark.
Hometown hero Miller is a sixth year graduate student who thrived over his first season in Durham and earned All-ACC First Team honors. The former Penn star led Duke in batting after hitting .360 with 18 doubles, a triple, and 15 home runs. Miller was primarily deployed as the two-hole hitter in the Blue Devil lineup and is set to retain that spot in 2025. He’ll be backed up by sophomore Noah Murray, who can also play second. Murray had just five at-bats as a freshman but enjoyed a monster summer in the Appalachian League. The 5’10 infielder from Crozet, Virginia hit .299 with 12 doubles, five home runs, and 13 stolen bases for the Burlington Sock Puppets. He walked more than he struck out (35 BB vs 29 K) while earning Appy League All Star honors.
The aforementioned Clark is perhaps one of the most underrated players in the conference. The former Oklahoma Sooner started every game at shortstop for Duke in 2024 and slashed .285/.451/.446, mostly as the team’s 9-hole hitter. The switch-hitting senior’s 37 walks and ACC best 24 hit by pitches shows a propensity for getting on base in any way possible. That ability makes Clark well-suited for the leadoff role in 2025. He’ll be the shortstop for Duke every game if he’s healthy, but will be backed up by freshman Jeff Lougee, who is in competition for the starting job at second.
Speaking of second base, Harvard transfer Jake Berger entered the fall as the favorite for the position, but is locked in a battle with fellow Ivy League transfer Nick DiPietrantonio and the previously mentioned freshman Jeff Lougee. Berger is a mature hitter who works counts and hit .288 for the Crimson last year. The lefty-swing doesn’t have a ton of power, as evidenced by his 14 career home runs. DiPietrantonio provides Duke with a right-handed option who slashed .293/.330./.485 for Princeton last year, but is much more aggressive in his approach and susceptible to striking out.
Lougee is an uber-talented middle infield recruit that’s forced his way into the second base conversation with his play over the fall. I loved watching his swing and he put on an impressive power display in winning Duke’s fall Home Run Derby. Defensively he can play all over the infield and has big upside offensively. I expect to see him earn plenty of playing time regardless of how the second base competition turns out.
First base is another position that Duke has up for grabs. In my four visits to see Duke over the fall, transfer Jake Hyde and returner Sam Harris were splitting time at the position. Jake Hyde is a natural outfielder who has the athleticism to play an adequate first base. The former Georgetown Hoya is a two-time All Big East 2nd Team player and hit .297 with 34 extra base hits last year. Hyde’s ability to drive the ball for extra bases will see his bat in the lineup somewhere. There were a couple of moments in the fall scrimmage against NC State where he looked less than comfortable at first, but has worked to improve since then.
Sam Harris is a natural first baseman who can play the corner outfield if needed. Despite only receiving seven at-bats in 2024, Harris is a player the coaching staff raves about. The sophomore slugger is destined for a breakout season should he get an opportunity for playing time. His prodigious power was on full display against NC State in the fall when he blasted a ball 103 MPH over the right field wall of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Harris could also earn a chance to serve as the DH if Pollard and hitting coach Eric Tyler feel they need his game-changing power in the lineup.
Outfield (Starter Rank: 6, Group Rank: 4)
When including the previously mentioned Hyde, Harris, and Winslow, Duke has a myriad of options for their outfield. Star sophomore AJ Gracia is a lock and is capable of playing all three positions. He started in center field all four times I saw Duke over the fall. Gracia played in all 60 games for the Blue Devils and hit .305 with 14 doubles, 14 home runs, and 48 walks. His plate approach and zone awareness makes him one of the best hitters in the country while putting him in the conversation for the #1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Fellow sophomore stud Kyle Johnson could start in left when he isn’t pitching or serve as the full-time DH. The lefty two-way star showed ability with the bat as a freshman, hitting .253 with 10 extra base hits and drawing 17 walks in 39 games. The Duke coaching staff will execute a plan that keeps him healthy and rested throughout the year.
A second Harvard transfer in Ben Rounds is expected to claim the left field job after slashing .403/.506/.685 for the Crimson last year. The grad student could be a dangerous bat in the middle of the Duke lineup. The other corner outfield spot could belong to returner Tyler Albright. The junior didn’t have the sophomore season he would’ve liked after a freshman year where he played in 50 games and hit .312. After a great summer and even better fall, he’s prime for a bounce back in 2025.
Another outfielder and key bench piece in Jimmy Evans returns as well. The grad student was a postseason hero last year when he came off. the bench to tie the game against Miami in the ACC Tournament semifinals. His first start of the year was in the Norman Regional and he hit his first Duke home run. His experience and ability to put the ball in play provides Pollard with another weapon on the bench. Speaking of weapons, freshman Adam Troch likely won’t get a ton of at-bats this year but his blazing speed could see him get opportunities as a pinch runner or defensive replacement late in games.
Projected Lineup
Rotation (Rank: 5)
Duke returns two arms from their weekend rotation a season ago in Kyle Johnson and Andrew Healy. Johnson has first round MLB Draft ability on the mound. The southpaw’s arsenal features a mid-90s fastball, a devastating changeup, and a good slider. Johnson went 4-1 with a 4.38 ERA last year with 53 strikeouts in 49.1 innings pitched. Expect to see those numbers jump after the development he’s undergone in the fall. Healy missed a bit of time last year due to injury, but still enjoyed a good sophomore season in which he went 3-1 with a 3.76 ERA. He held opposing hitters to a .213 batting average while striking out 42 in 40.2 innings.
Pollard and pitching coach Brady Kirkpatrick have a plethora of options to choose from behind KJ and Healy. Dominant relievers such as James Tallon and Gabe Nard are options alongside transfer Reid Easterly. Returner Aidan Weaver, coming off a summer that saw him earn Appy League All Star honors, has big-time stuff and could find himself in the rotation. My gut is telling me that former closer Tallon– who started in the ACC Championship and in the NCAA Tournament– will get the first opportunity in a weekend role. Easterly, who boasts a 4.44 ERA while pitching for Yale last season, is my pick for the midweek role.
Bullpen (Rank: 3)
Kirkpatrick and Pollard have once again assembled one of the deepest bullpens in the conference. The Blue Devils have 13 legitimate relievers who could pitch high leverage innings in 2025. The bullpen will be anchored by returning arms Gabe Nard, Owen Proksch, and David Boisvert. Ryan Higgins, D-III transfer Gavin Brown, and Weaver are long relief options that could serve as firemen early in games.
UNC-W transfer Ryan Calvert and William & Mary transfer Mark Hindy are both experienced grad transfers that know how to get outs and pound the strike zone. Georgetown transfer Marcello Mastroianni is a low slot lefty with a funky delivery that will give opposing hitters a different look. Junior Ed Hart is yet another left-handed option that enjoyed a sensational campaign over the summer in the Cape Cod League.
As if Duke needed anymore left-handed prowess, freshmen Henry Zatkowski and Max Stammel are set to receive workloads in their first year. Both were extremely impressive when I watched them in the fall. Sophomore James Raidt, who only pitched 1.2 innings last season, is another sophomore that has enjoyed strong development on this Duke roster. Raidt pitched well in the Fall World Series and provides some right-handed depth.
Projected Staff
Outlook
This might be Duke’s deepest roster in program history when taking into account both the lineup and pitching staff. The ACC is absolutely loaded, but pitching depth of this magnitude could be the difference. The similarities between this team and last year’s teams are obvious, but there’s a very good argument to be made that the 2024 Duke team was an Omaha-caliber squad. Their ceiling is an Omaha visit while their floor is an NCAA Regional. Chris Pollard continues to build Duke into a national power and renovations are underway at Jack Coombs Park that could see the Blue Devils host a Regional in the near future. This coaching staff is building something special and it’s only a matter of time before it pays off with an Omaha visit.
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