Overview
The Blue Devils enter the season ranked No. 11 in the country, thanks in part to an abundance of left-handed pitching and hitting talent. After securing the ACC Tournament title last season but sputtering out in the Norman Regional, this year’s team has its eyes set on a deeper postseason run — namely that elusive place called Omaha.
Duke finished the 2024 season with a 40-20 record. Its pitching staff took a hit in the offseason with the loss of ace Jonathan Santucci and key closer Charlie Beilenson. Santucci, a second-round pick by the New York Mets in the 2024 draft, headlined the Blue Devils’ rotation last year, while Beilenson, who graduated, tied a program record with 12 saves.
This season, Duke will look to southpaws Kyle Johnson and Andrew Healy to step up on the mound, with potential emphasis on a pitch-to-contact approach to save arms and activate the defense. Fellow juniors Gabe Nard, James Tallon and Owen Proksch will also see increased roles in the ever-important bullpen. Tallon was a shutdown closer his freshman season before suffering from some setbacks last season, but without Beilenson the Blue Devils will be searching for a new anchor.
Past its returners, Duke brought in a number of experienced arms through the transfer portal that head coach Chris Pollard will look to combine into yet another top-end staff.
“We have 11 players on this roster that have started a Division 1 baseball game on the mound,” Pollard said. That's unheard of, and we have three more guys that we think could be starters that haven't started a game yet. That's 14 guys in contention for starting roles, and so we're a little more in the mindset of building this staff from the front end to the back end.”
While Duke lost some key pieces from the heart of the lineup, including catcher Alex Stone, center fielder Devin Obee and first baseman Logan Bravo, Pollard is also optimistic about his squad around the diamond.
The Blue Devil lineup boasts returning stars in AJ Gracia and Ben Miller, two formidable forces in the batter’s box and around the bases. Wallace Clark also figures to hold down shortstop and provide a steady presence near the top of the lineup, while Macon Winslow, Tyler Albright, Sam Harris and other returners will look to take a leap.
Pollard hit the transfer portal hard, adding likely starters in Georgetown slugger Jake Hyde and Harvard infielder Jake Berger. The Blue Devils should see additional impact from Berger’s former teammate Ben Rounds, who finished last season with a .403 batting average.
Duke’s prestigious academic reputation was one of the tools Pollard employed in his recruiting, especially with guys from the Ivy League. “I think it's absolutely an advantage,” Pollard said of Duke’s academic standing. “Because, you know, if we're recruiting and getting the right type of player to campus, they're valuing more than just the baseball experience, they’re valuing the Duke educational experience and a degree.”
The Blue Devils will face 17 road matchups against seven opponents, with the remainder of their 56-game slate played against 21 teams at the newly-renovated Jack Coombs Field. A notably tough ACC stretch against Virginia, N.C. State and North Carolina will offer a midseason opportunity to carve out a place in conference standings. The ACC is loaded from top to bottom, with seven teams ranked in the preseason top 25.
The Blue Devils will attempt to defend their conference title in a new, bracket-style tournament format before hoping the pieces fall into place for a long-awaited and increasingly possible trip to the College World Series, hosted in Omaha, Neb. -Abby DiSalvo, Dom Fenoglio
New player to watch: Ben Rounds and Jake Berger
Duke’s transfer portal additions are one of the top incoming groups in the country, and a number of them could be considered for this spot.
The Blue Devils will kick off the 2024-25 season with 16 new faces. On top of seven new freshmen, Duke welcomed nine transfers. With all-around new talent entering Jack Coombs Field, the Blue Devils have a well-rounded roster primed for a potential deep run to Omaha. The most impactful newcomers this season are likely to be Harvard transfers Rounds and Berger.
Due to the influx of talent, Pollard doesn’t foresee as many true freshmen stepping into prominent roles right away. "I don't think we'll have as many true freshmen in the lineup as we did at times last year," Pollard said. Instead, the Blue Devils are relying heavily on a group of Ivy League transfers to make an immediate impact — Berger and Rounds are both projected starters for the Blue Devils.
Previous to his Duke career, Rounds was tabbed as a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection as an outfielder and was awarded CSC Academic All-District honors with the Crimson in 2024. The graduate student appeared in 120 total games accumulating a fifth-place ranking in Harvard’s record book with 38 doubles.
“Ben Rounds is another grad transfer that's going to hit in the top of our lineup,” Pollard said. “[Rounds] will play left field and we will really lean on him to replace some of that lost offensive production.”
Meanwhile, Berger has established himself as a standout both on and off the field. The Harvard team captain and third baseman earned a spot on the 2024 Academic All-Ivy list, was named to the Ivy League All-Tournament Team in 2023, and was a first team CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree in 2022. This season, Berger will not only look to make contributions to the infield but also play a key role in bolstering the team’s offensive efforts.
Now, as part of the revamped Blue Devil roster, both Rounds and Berger are ready to leave their mark in the fiercely competitive ACC. With their eyes set firmly on Omaha, the duo is determined to compete on a national stage. -Callan Perchinsky
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Returning player to watch: AJ Gracia
The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores, and sophomore AJ Gracia might be one of the most exciting such cases in Duke’s history. The outfielder recorded 58 RBIs and 14 home runs over the course of 60 starts in his rookie campaign, both figures which set program records for a Duke freshman. Gracia’s production, also including a 1.000 OPS and 135 WRC+, earned him a spot on the All-ACC freshman team and the All-ACC third team (Outfielder), along with freshman All-American nods from a number of national outlets. The Monroe, N.J., native now steps into his second year of college ball swinging one of the best bats in the country and boasting upside that has him projected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft.
Gracia’s success at the plate is the result of pairing clean mechanics with a disciplined approach. Standing at 6-foot-3, the Ranney School product has explosive hands through the zone and regularly shoves pitches upwards of 100 miles per hour off the barrel. On top of the power, Gracia’s keen eye earned him a team-high 48 walks last season. Projected to slot in third in the lineup, the Blue Devils will benefit greatly from the versatility and consistency that the lefty batter brings to the plate.
On the other side of the ball, Gracia is a plus fielder with a cannon for an arm that will continue to keep runners in check. Although he tends to fit better in the corners due to a lack of speed, Gracia has seen no shortage of success in center field and is likely to see time all around the outfield.
The expectations are certainly high. On top of a lofty predicted draft position, Gracia was also selected for the Preseason All-American Third teams by D1Baseball and Perfect Game. With another explosive returner in Ben Miller expected to precede him and the All-Big East transfer Jake Hyde likely to bat cleanup, Gracia should see plenty of room to work within the lineup and could be the core of a contender-level Duke offense. -Josh Alms
Most anticipated matchup: at North Carolina, April 3-5
Selecting the Tobacco Road rivalry as the most anticipated series of the campaign may feel like a bit of a cop-out answer — after all, the battle of the blues always boasts high significance, regardless of the sport. The stakes, however, are elevated for the 2025 edition of the matchup on the diamond. Both the history of the rivalry and the current state of both programs will make the early-April series a must-watch.
While Pollard has built Duke into a perennially competitive program, North Carolina has been the hurdle the Blue Devils just can’t seem to clear. The Tar Heels have won 11 of the past 15 contests and haven’t dropped a series to Duke since 2018 — making it one of just two pre-realignment ACC teams the Blue Devils haven’t taken two-of-three from in this timeframe. Even in some of the program’s best years that have included its first conference championships in six decades and multiple deep postseason runs, Duke has struggled against Scott Forbes’ contingent.
Turning to this year, the Blue Devils will face a tall task in turning the tides of the rivalry. The Carolinas are absolutely loaded college baseball states, but Duke-North Carolina may be a clash between the best two teams in the stronghold. The preseason top 25 rankings slot the Tar Heels at 6th and the Blue Devils at 11th in the nation, and each side boasts multiple preseason All-Americans. Things can change drastically between now and early April, but all signs point toward the rivalry series at Boshamer Stadium being a heavyweight bout. -Elliott Jarnot
Best-case scenario
Is this finally the year Duke breaks down the door to Omaha? There is certainly a chance that this roster has what it takes to reach the College World Series, something that hasn’t happened in Durham since 1961. The renovations to Jack Coombs Field should allow the Blue Devils to receive the benefit of the doubt when it comes to hosting a regional. If they show up strong against this tough ACC field — and maybe win a conference tourney in Durham — Duke could even host a super regional. Barring any major injuries, a solid run at Charles Schwab Field Omaha is not out of the question. -Caleb Dudley
Worst-case scenario
The Blue Devils enter 2025 with a pretty similar position player core to last season’s ACC champions, with their most significant losses coming on the bump. After Santucci, Beilenson, Nick Conte and Fran Oschell III jumped to the pros, Pollard will need to turn to new arms to fill high-leverage innings. The performance of Duke’s incoming pitchers, most joining the team via the transfer portal, will be a bellwether for the team’s performance. If these incoming arms aren’t as effective as those they’re replacing, the Blue Devils will find themselves in a number of slugfests. Their offense is more than capable of dragging a potentially underperforming pitching staff to a middle-of-the-pack ACC finish, but if Duke can’t get it done on the mound, it’ll find itself on the outside looking in come late May. -Myles Powicki
Record predictions
Josh Alms: 41-15 (19-11 in the ACC), 1-2 at College World Series
Abby DiSalvo: 42-14 (20-10), 1-2 at College World Series
Myles Powicki: 41-15 (21-9), 1-2 in NCAA Super Regional
Callan Perchinsky: 43-13 (21-9), 1-2 in NCAA Super Regional
Elliott Jarnot: 41-15 (19-11), 1-2 in NCAA Super Regional
Caleb Dudley: 40-16 (18-12), 0-2 in NCAA Super Regional
Dom Fenoglio: 39-17 (17-13), 1-2 in NCAA Regional
Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.