Overview
At various points of this season, Duke’s 2024 campaign could be described as a success, failure and just about everywhere in between. The Blue Devils started off hot, taking down then-No. 1 Wake Forest in their first ACC road series. However, they dropped their next two weekend series against Clemson and N.C. State, and rode through the middle of the season alternating between impressive showings and disappointments.
Offensively, Duke was led early on by Penn transfer and Durham native Ben Miller, who saw his average shoot up above .400 before evening out at an impressive .360. Miller was one of four transfers in the infield, as head coach Chris Pollard again put together an elite squad from various backgrounds. Wallace Clark, Logan Bravo and Zac Morris rounded out the transfer portion of the Blue Devils’ lineup, and freshmen AJ Gracia, Chase Krewson and Kyle Johnson gave Duke some young pop.
Johnson was more than just a bat, as he developed into the Blue Devils No. 2 starter behind ace Jonathan Santucci. The pair of southpaws combined for 143 strikeouts in 107.1 innings pitched, and consistently gave Duke chances to win. Whenever the Blue Devils had a lead late, Pollard turned the ball over to star reliever Charlie Beilenson, who blossomed into a top relievers in the country.
Duke stayed within the top 25 throughout the season, but three straight series losses to Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina to end the regular season left a sour taste in the Blue Devils’ mouths heading into the ACC tournament in Charlotte. Once there, Pollard’s squad rattled off four straight convincing wins — highlighted by a 16-4 rout of the Seminoles in the championship game — to take home their second ACC tournament title in the last five years.
Despite the team’s impressive ACC tournament performance and its perennial standing near the top of the polls all season long, Duke did not earn a top-16 national seed in the NCAA tournament and therefore had to travel to Norman, Okla., as a No. 2-seed in the Oklahoma Regional. The Blue Devils could not recreate the magic they found last year in Conway, S.C., and ultimately bowed out to the hosts in the Regional.
While the season had plenty of bumps along the way, and the end result was not what Pollard and the squad had hoped for, Duke finished with 40 wins for just the second time in program history. New contributors, veteran leaders and surprise stars made the 2024 season one to remember for the Blue Devils — and certainly one on which to build. - Dom Fenoglio
Results relative to expectations
As Dom mentioned, the rollercoaster of a season makes the campaign somewhat tough to evaluate. To make a long story short, Pollard’s 11th full season was relatively disappointing, but there’s more to unpack.
Duke entered the season with realistic expectations to be one of the best squads in the ACC with a great shot at making the College World Series. It was clear throughout the season that winning a Super Regional and reaching the pinnacle of the sport was the top priority for Pollard.
After a hot start and an up-and-down conference season, the Blue Devils ultimately finished third in the Coastal Division and entered the ACC tournament as the No. 6 seed. At that point, the season could be labeled a slight letdown — especially given the promise Duke showed early on — but the most important games were, obviously, still yet to be played.
Then, as the team mantra goes, “the Devs got hot.” The Blue Devils rattled off four wins in six days against some of the ACC’s best to capture the program’s fifth conference title. The successful week not only flipped the sentiment of the season on its head, but also revived Duke’s hopes of hosting an NCAA Regional and lit a fire around the team heading into the NCAA tournament.
But just as quickly as the subpar feelings faded, they returned. The Blue Devils were not awarded a hosting site and were instead sent to Norman, where a first-round loss to UConn put them in the elimination bracket and ultimately was too much to overcome as the hosting Sooners sent Duke home two games later. Heading into the postseason with what looked like their best chance at reaching Omaha in over a half-century, the Blue Devils bowed out in the Regional round for just the second time in their last five trips to the NCAA tournament.
Despite all the highs and lows, the season came up short and can ultimately be considered a disappointing one given the potential the squad showed and the expectations entering postseason play. - Elliott Jarnot
Best win
While Duke had several impressive results throughout the regular season, including a monster road series win against then-No. 1 Wake Forest, a series win against the Omaha-bound Virginia Cavaliers and a midweek victory at East Carolina, the Blue Devils’ brightest moment of the year undoubtedly came during the penultimate week of the season. Pollard’s group traveled up to Charlotte and dominated the ACC tournament, leaving as champions for the second time in four years.
Entering as the No. 6 seed, Duke first slugged out an 11-8 win against Virginia Tech on the back of a two-homer night from second baseman Zac Morris. Then, the Blue Devils took on N.C. State for the chance to advance from pool play, and they blanked the Wolfpack behind an excellent showing from sophomore starter Andrew Healy. Following pool play, Duke simply out-slugged the Florida schools. An 8-2 defeat of Miami in the semifinals and the subsequent offensive explosion in the ACC Championship game cemented Pollard’s second ACC title. -Caleb Dudley
MVP
Perhaps no player on Duke’s roster has stood out in a national context this season as much as Charlie Beilenson. Initially among a slew of preseason All-Americans in the Blue Devils’ bullpen, the Los Angeles native carved his way into the spotlight as one of the nation’s best closers. He earned All-American honors from four different media outlets, a spot on the All-ACC first team and a Stopper of the Year Finalist selection — all testaments to his dominance. The accolades are the product of his stellar 2.01 ERA across 62.2 innings in 34 outings on the bump — good for second in the country among qualified pitchers. His lockdown efforts were largely the product of his remarkable 5.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Beilenson’s 12 saves this season tied for fourth in the nation and tied James Tallon’s program record set last season.
Beyond his consistency as Pollard’s go-to closer, Beilenson was critical in some of Duke’s biggest wins. In the team’s ACC tournament run, the Brown transfer worked a three-inning save against Virginia Tech followed by a combined 3.1 scoreless innings against Miami and Florida State. In these big moments throughout the season, Beilenson was the defensive rock for Duke — a consistent workhorse known for his competitive fire on the rubber. -Josh Alms
Accolades
Despite the ultimately disappointing finish for the squad from Durham after the ACC Championship win, a number of the group’s standouts received formal recognition for their talents. Beilenson jumps out as the true superstar for this team with his aforementioned All-American and All-ACC honors, but he was far from the only player to pick up a few awards. Graduate infielders Ben Miller and Zac Morris both received American Baseball Coaches Association second-team honors, and AJ Gracia and Kyle Johnson racked up freshman All-American honors.
Four pitchers also received invites to the MLB Draft Combine, looking to demonstrate their throwing ability at the next level. Junior ace Jonathan Santucci, along with classmates Fran Oschell III, David Boisvert and sophomore Andrew Healy will be in attendance.
Overall, even without a trip to Omaha, there were plenty of individual successes this season. The pitching stood out as a strength, with Beilenson and Santucci both proving themselves as elite hurlers. Rookies Gracia and Johnson also made names for themselves against tough competition, standing out as some of the best freshmen in the nation. -Martin Heintzelman
Draft Picks
There were also a number of Blue Devils selected in the MLB draft. Santucci was, unsurprisingly, the first Duke player off the board. He went 46th overall to the New York Mets, where he will likely spend some time in the minor leagues before he hopes to make the jump to the highest level. Santucci was widely projected to go relatively early in the draft, and he has a strong upside as an arm talent.
Graduate closer Charlie Beilenson and senior pitcher Nick Conte both were picked on the second day of the draft, with Beilenson entering the Seattle Mariners system and Conte joining the Kansas City Royals. Both will likely have to battle to move up the levels of their respective farm system, but they can build on strong collegiate careers.
On the final day of the draft, pitchers Fran Oschell III and Jimmy Romano went in the 12th and 16th rounds, respectively. Oschell joins the Los Angeles Angels, while Romano will get his start in the Cincinnati Reds system. Catcher Alex Stone was not drafted, but signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as a free agent. -Heintzelman
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Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Martin Heintzelman is a Trinity junior and Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.