Blast from the past: Bryce Jarvis throws perfect game against Cornell

In honor of Duke’s Centennial, the Blue Zone’s Blast from the Past series highlights pivotal figures and events in Duke sports history. Next, we look at the only perfect baseball game in the Blue Devil books:

In head coach Chris Pollard’s 13th season in Durham, hopes are higher than ever for Duke baseball. The program, which currently sits at No. 17 in the polls, has a storied history of success. From Bailey Clark nine years ago to Jonathan Santucci last season, a host of talented aces have stepped up to the mound on Jack Coombs Field on their way to the professional stage. Few, though, have etched their names into the record books in the way that Bryce Jarvis did in February 2020.

Seventeen pitchers had thrown a perfect nine innings in NCAA history on Feb. 20, 2020. The next day, there would be one more. Jarvis shut the door on the Cornell offense en route to an 8-0 victory that saw Michael Rothenberg score twice and Rudy Maxwell notch three RBIs. Jarvis, though, was the undoubted star of the show. In 27 at-bats for the visiting team, Duke fielded two fly balls and 10 groundouts. Jarvis struck out a dazzling 15 batters. He caught fire in the fifth: From the start of the inning, 11 of 15 batters never connected.

“I wanted to leave him alone [between innings],” Pollard told The Chronicle after the game. “I didn’t want to get in the middle of it and mess it up. I just wanted him to keep doing what he was doing … it was fun to just sit back and watch.”

The Franklin, Tenn., native’s career at Duke was ultimately cut short. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down his senior season just days after the perfect outing, and Jarvis declared for the MLB draft soon after. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Jarvis with the 18th overall pick in June of that same year. Jarvis debuted in the majors in 2023, recording a 3.04 ERA in just over 23 innings.

The Cornell perfect game remains the only of its kind in the Duke record books. Jarvis and the promise of the 2020 season remain a highlight in the upward climb of the program over the last few years. In 2025, the Blue Devils return a strong offensive in AJ Gracia and company, with Pollard having made several key additions from the transfer portal including outfielders Ben Rounds and Jake Berger. The Blue Devils will look to continue to rewrite history this season with another first: a trip to Omaha, Neb., in June.