Duke came out Friday night with a sense of urgency, carrying that moxie into a run-rule victory Saturday. The Blue Devils then battled off a comeback attempt Sunday to secure their first sweep on the road in the 118-year history of its series against the Cavaliers.
With spring sports thoroughly underway, the Blue Zone is highlighting different squads and their accomplishments. This week, we take a look at changes in Duke baseball’s bullpen.
The Blue Devils powered through the Huskies with little resistance 12-2, anchored by an all-around offensive performance and another strong outing from the bullpen.
Duke fell 10-5 to No. 18 Stanford Sunday evening to cap off a disappointing road sweep. After mustering just two runs through the first two games of the series, the Blue Devils entered Sunday looking to salvage a game and avoid a winless weekend. Instead, they squandered an early lead and were doubled up, heading back to Durham licking their wounds as they prepare to enter the heart of conference play.
Duke handled the Patriots in a pair of midweek games, riding six shutout innings from the bullpen to take the first game 6-3 and another key outing from third baseman Ben Miller to replicate that score Wednesday.
Despite suffering a lopsided defeat to Cal on Friday, the Blue Devils were able to bounce back Saturday and Sunday to win their first series in conference play against the visiting Golden Bears.
The Blue Devils put together a midweek masterclass against North Carolina A&T, trampling the Aggies 13-1 to deliver a fourth-straight home victory. The game displayed budding consistency for a squad that has struggled to combat defensive mishaps and find offensive sparks.
It was tense at times, but the Blue Devils outscored the Wildcats 31-12 overall as the offense strung together several incredible innings — including a nine-spot Friday and a seven-run first Sunday. Ben Miller was the star of the show; the third baseman appeared to return to his 2024 All-ACC form, racking up five hits, three home runs and 10 RBIs in a prolific stretch.
As spring sports are underway, The Chronicle is back with our breakdown of every sport, including key rules, terminology, tournament formats and more. Here is our baseball edition.
Duke tallied two midweek losses, falling to both Campbell and Liberty by a combined score of 21-10. The Blue Devils ended Tuesday’s road game with a 9-6 loss despite mounting a back-half surge against the Fighting Camels. When they returned home to face the Flames Wednesday, defensive inconsistencies paved the way to a 12-4 defeat.
However, a tone-setting performance on the mound from Ryan Higgins helped engineer a 34-3 combined drubbing over the final two games of the weekend, giving the Blue Devils their first series win of the year. Duke found production from up and down the lineup, seeing balls find gaps in ways they had not against the Bearcats.
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.
Though Duke lagged just behind UNC Wilmington for most of Tuesday’s game, a back-half resurgence eventually delivered the Blue Devils to an 8-4 comeback. Head coach Chris Pollard tied former coach Jack Coombs for his all-time win record of 381.
It was an uphill battle for Duke this weekend. In a grueling four-hour grudge match against Cincinnati Saturday, the Blue Devils found themselves locked in an extra-innings showdown. After battling to 5-5 through 12, senior captain Wallace Clark came through in the clutch, launching a walk-off home run to left field to secure the win and set up a Sunday rubber match.
The 746 fans who attended Duke baseball’s home opener were welcomed in the new season by the ping of the bat and the pop of the catcher’s mitt. However, the Blue Devils did not start the season quite the way they wanted, squandering a lead to eventually fall 8-3 against Cincinnati.
The Blue Devils enter the season ranked 11th 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.
With several top-ranked teams across a variety of men’s and women’s sports, several Blue Devil squads are poised to embark on potentially-championship-winning runs. The Chronicle discusses the possibility of an 18th Duke national championship in our latest Take of the week.
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.
After an up-and-down season that came to its end in the Stillwater, 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.
Duke baseball standouts Ben Miller and Macon Winslow participated in Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby X Saturday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Miller teamed up with former MLB star Andruw Jones and professional softball slugger Skylar Wallace.
