After an up-and-down season that came to an end in the Norman, Okla., Regional, Duke baseball loaded up once again in the transfer portal. The Chronicle is here to break down some of the key additions, as well as some players who left the program:
Transfers in
Jake Berger: Coming off a solid year as the Harvard captain, Berger will add an experienced presence to the Duke infield. The 6-foot-3 graduate transfer played in all 123 games for the Crimson since Ivy League baseball returned in 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic, starting all but one of those contests. Accumulating 460 career collegiate at-bats, the Boston native has hit over .280 in all three of his seasons. Although Berger’s junior season was likely his best year at the plate with a .292 average and 32 RBI, his senior year numbers trailed close behind and he slashed his strikeouts in half to just 21. The former Crimson’s experience and plate discipline will make him a valuable piece for head coach Chris Pollard, whether it be as a utility infielder or in the designated hitter slot.
Nick DiPietrantonio: Another former Ivy League captain, DiPietrantonio headed up Princeton during the 2024 season. The third baseman steadily improved throughout his career as a Tiger and ultimately posted an impressive senior season, hitting .293 and tacking on 26 RBI. DiPietrantonio’s biggest hit of his career, though, came in his junior year. Trailing 2-0 to Harvard in the Ivy League semifinal, the Manalapan, N.J., native smashed a three-run homer over the wall in right-center field to put Princeton on top. DiPietrantonio ultimately drove in two more runs in the game, powering the Tigers to a 10-3 victory and sending them to the conference championship game.
Mark Hindy: The name Mark Hindy may sound eerily familiar to members of the Blue Devil faithful. That’s because the 6-foot-4 lefty hurled three dominant innings to close out a William & Mary victory against Duke in 2024. Hindy entered for the seventh inning of a 4-2 game and, despite allowing runners in each frame, struck out five batters en route to the nine-out save. The impressive showing at Jack Coombs Field was one of the highlights of a season in which the Essex Fells, N.J., native recorded a 3.75 ERA and five wins. The 2024 campaign was Hindy’s first full season in his collegiate career, so the transfer could continue to improve as a Blue Devil.
Ryan Calvert:rt brings an experienced arm to the Duke staff, with 38 appearances and 20 starts over three seasons at UNC-Wilmington. In 2024, the La Plata, Md., product recorded the lowest ERA of his career at 4.01. In 33.2 innings of work — mostly out of the bullpen — Calvert struck out 45 batters. The 6-foot-5 hurler will be a nice depth piece on pitching coach Brady Kirkpatrick’s staff.
Jake Hyde: Hyde just adds to the wealth that year’s squad should have on offense, as the first baseman put together an excellent career in four years at Georgetown. Last season, the Darien, Conn., native hit .297 with 51 RBIs, but that was arguably his worst season as a Hoya. In 2023, Hyde hit .322 and started every game while earning second team All-Big East honors, an accolade he also gathered in 2022 when he hit .354 and added a then-program record 19 homers. With the graduation of Logan Bravo, Hyde figures to fit into the competition at first base.
Marcello Mastroianni: Mastroianni is another Hoya who should be able to help out head coach Chris Pollard’s squad in the spring, as the incoming sophomore right-hander had some solid outings on the mound in his freshman season. The Little Silver, N.J., native sported a 4.02 ERA over 62.2 innings, while also tallying 47 strikeouts. One of his best outings of the season came against Boston College, where he went six innings and only surrendered two runs, proving his ability to play with ACC talent.
Ben Rounds: Rounds is another high-profile offensive addition, as the former Harvard outfielder hit an outstanding .403 in his senior year while driving in 34 runs. This production earned him unanimous first team All-Ivy honors, and the Milton, Mass., native also finished the year ranked 12th nationally in batting average. Over his career, he totaled 38 doubles, good for fifth on the Crimson’s all-time leaderboard. Duke has found success in Ivy League transfers recently, and it will hope Rounds continues that trend.
Gavin Brown: The Tufts transfer enters with a career ERA of 3.74 over four years. Over his career, he has racked up 92 strikeouts, with 43 of those coming during the 2024 campaign. During this past season, he also notched four wins and had a 3.67 ERA, which was just over a career-low 3.32 in 2023.
Reid Easterly: Easterly is yet another standout former Ivy League player to be joining the Blue Devils this season, as the southpaw had three solid seasons at Yale and will now use the remainder of his eligibility in Durham. 2024 was a step back from the Katy, Texas, native as he had a 4.44 ERA over 11 starts. However, the former Bulldog team captain was spectacular in his first two seasons. In 2022, he made 21 appearances and totaled a 2.95 ERA that dropped to 2.45 in Ivy League play. 2023 was an even better season for the graduate transfer, as he had a 2.93 ERA over 73.2 innings pitched, a performance that earned him first team all-conference honors. Duke will hope he can regain his previous form this season.
Transfers out
Devin Obee: Somewhat of a surprise late addition to the transfer portal, Obee entered his name on August 20th — after the typical transfer portal deadline had come and gone. The center fielder is graduating early, and therefore will be able to officially enter the portal to join another program as a graduate transfer close to the end of the calendar year. Obee has already announced his intention to commit to Georgia.
Obee is a big loss for Duke, as he started all 60 games of the 2024 campaign in center field. After multiple years in the program, the Nashville native was finally given an opportunity to show his talent as a full-time starter, and he flourished in the role. Obee posted an impressive season, batting .309, homering 16 times and driving in 50 runs while adding superb defense in the outfield. He also peaked at the right time, leading the Blue Devils to an ACC championship and securing tournament MVP along the way.
Chase Krewson: Krewson was the sole member of Duke’s excellent freshman class to exit in the offseason, with the young outfielder transferring to UCF. In his lone year with the Blue Devils, the Bridgeville, Pa., native started in 35 of 46 games he played, totaling a .331 average and five home runs on the year. In addition, he also was a weapon in the defensive outfield for Pollard’s squad, leaving a major hole for the team to fill.
Jackson Emus: Emus was the final transfer for Duke in the offseason, as the former Princeton Tiger leaves the program after just one year in Durham. During the season, he appeared in 15 games, starting one and finishing the year with an 8.66 ERA. The grad transfer has not announced a destination for the upcoming season yet.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.