As 2024 comes to a close, The Chronicle’s sports department is reviewing the biggest moments from this year in Duke athletics.
At No. 5, Duke baseball took a trip to Charlotte and won the ACC Tournament as the No. 6 seed, going a perfect 4-0:
Coming off a Super Regionals appearance the year prior, head coach Chris Pollard and his Duke baseball squad seemed primed for another big tournament run. The Blue Devils were staples in the top 25 all season long, led by a lethal offensive lineup and excellent arms like Jonathan Santucci and Charlie Beilenson.
Despite going 35-18 in the regular season, Duke was just the No. 6-seed in a loaded ACC Tournament in Charlotte. Entering pool play, the Blue Devils were looking to rebound from a series loss to rival North Carolina to end the regular season by strengthening their NCAA Tournament resume in the Queen City.
Pollard’s bunch did just that, rolling through the conference en route to becoming ACC champions. Throughout the four games, Duke went undefeated and largely stood unchallenged, flexing its muscle offensively as it grinded its way through pool play and the single-elimination bracket.
Due to the nature of pool play, the Blue Devils basically had to go undefeated in order to advance to the next round, as No. 3-seed N.C. State held a tiebreaker over them due to its higher seed. Duke took on No. 10-seed Virginia Tech first in what would be the closest game of the tournament run, as it took down the Hokies 11-8 to set up an elimination game with the Wolfpack.
With ace Santucci out for the tournament due to injury, Pollard had to rely on some inexperienced arms while also trying pitchers in new roles. Against Virginia Tech, Duke fell down 5-0 after two innings, prompting reliever James Tallon to enter the ballgame to try and stop the bleeding. While the southpaw stabilized the defense, his offense began to pick up the pace, largely thanks to graduate transfer Zac Morris. The former VMI slugger mashed two home runs in the contest for a combined 5 RBIs on the night as Duke was able to outpace the Hokies.
"We continued to stay in the fight. It wasn't the best game or the cleanest game we have played all year. We gave up a lot of free offense to a good offense. Virginia Tech is a talented offense, and we were able to be tough enough to stay in the fight,” Pollard said postgame.
Up next, Duke had a win-or-go-home bout with in-state N.C. State. With the circumstances of the game and a lack of proven starters without Santucci, Pollard elected to start sophomore Andrew Healy against the Wolfpack and figure out the following days if it came to that point. This proved to be a wise decision, as the Glen Mills, Pa., native put up arguably the best performance of his career. Healy went five innings and only allowed one hit while striking out four, allowing Duke to keep the game knotted at zero. However, the Blue Devils came to life in the top of the fifth, propelled by a Morris grand slam to an eventual 8-1 victory and Pool C championship.
"I am really proud of our club. I thought it was the most complete performance of the year. We were really good on the mound and Andrew Healy was phenomenal,” Pollard said. “...I can't say enough good things about N.C. State and their club. One of the hottest teams in the country and undoubtedly are going to host a regional next week in Raleigh. That was a great atmosphere and a fun night for our guys."
Now that Duke had escaped pool play, just two single-elimination games stood between it and a trophy hoisting at Truist Park. Fortunately, the Blue Devils dodged the other top seed on their side of the bracket, as #11 Miami escaped from its respective pool to take on Duke in the semifinals. Much like the previous contest, the offense did not register its first run until the fifth inning, once again resulting from a play from Morris.
However, the main story from the matchup with the Hurricanes was the clutch play from graduate transfer Jimmy Evans. The Tufts transfer was called on to pinch hit in the seventh inning after minimal regular-season bats, and he delivered emphatically by tying the game 2-2 off a sacrifice fly. His cut provided a spark for the offense that resulted in an outpour, as Duke scored six in the eighth inning and won 8-2 to advance to the finals.
“If you had told me a month ago, that [we'd] be heading into the championship game on Sunday, and oh by the way, Jonathan Santucci hasn't thrown a pitch and Kyle Johnson hasn't thrown a pitch. It just speaks to these guys, their character, their fight and their want to for each other. That piece of it I'm really proud of,” Pollard said after the victory.
That offensive momentum carried over to the title fight in a major way, as the Blue Devils completely decimated 5-seed Florida State 16-4 en route to its second ACC championship in program history. After a strong outing against the Hokies, James Tallon made his first career start, going three innings to help rest other exhausted arms.
Freshman Kyle Johnson gave Duke a 3-2 lead on a third-inning double, and it never looked back. The Blue Devils added two grand slams courtesy from Ben Miller and tournament MVP Devin Obee in the later innings, giving Pollard’s team a statement win heading into regionals.
“I'm exceptionally proud of our team. We played a really complete game, we played a really, really complete tournament, just so proud to be a part of this program,” Pollard said.
At the end of it all, Duke had three all-tournament players, with Obee, Alex Stone and Beilenson making the cut. Despite this success, the Blue Devils did not do enough in the eyes of the committee to warrant hosting a regionals, as Duke traveled to Oklahoma as the No. 2-seed. Santucci returned in a limited role, but the hot streak did not continue, as the Blue Devils’ season ended in Norman.
Even with the disappointing ending, Duke should be well-positioned to make noise yet again in the ACC. Miller, Johnson, Healy and stud freshman AJ Gracia all return, and Pollard engineered one of the nation’s best incoming transfer classes to help reload the roster. Come next May, the Blue Devils should be a threat to become back-to-back conference champs.
Read more
QUEEN CITY KINGS: Duke baseball overpowers Florida State 16-4 for ACC Championship
Six-run eighth inning propels Duke past Miami in ACC tournament semifinals, into championship game
Duke's 40-win season comes to end with 4-3 loss against Oklahoma in NCAA Regionals
Multiple Blue Devils recognized on All-ACC baseball teams, including 4 First-Team selections
Duke baseball 2024 season review
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