For the second time in the last three years, Chris Pollard, the new UVA Baseball coach, was a win away from a trip to Omaha.
Just hours after his Duke team was eliminated late Monday night by Murray State in the Super Regionals, Pollard needs to hit the ground running at his new job to replenish a roster that we can be sure will be ravaged by departures of guys that we can expect to follow Brian O’Connor down to Mississippi State.
ICYMI
With that thinking in mind, I took a look at Duke’s 2025 roster and Pollard’s 2025 recruiting class, which was ranked 12th nationally by Perfect Game – 13 spots ahead of O’Connor’s 2025 UVA class.
Here’s what I’m seeing in terms of the guys that Pollard could bring with him:
2025 MLB Draft rankings from Baseball America
- RHP/1B/3B Justice de Jong (incoming freshman, #104): de Jong sits in the mid-90s with his fastball and hits with power (15HRs in 157 prep games).
- RHP Noah Yoder (incoming freshman, #134): Yoder is a big kid (6’6”, 230) who touches 98 mph with the fastball.
- RHP/SS Jayden Stroman (incoming freshman, #167): Stroman hits 97 mph with his heater. Younger brother of MLB veteran Marcus Stroman. Raw power, but MLB talent evaluators are concerned with his swing-and-miss rate.
- RHP John Paone (incoming freshman, #186): Paone’s fastball can touch the mid-90s, but is more consistently in the 90-93 range, with sink.
- OF Griffin Enis (incoming freshman, #257): Enis is 6’1”, 190, a contact hitter with speed who needs to grow into his body. Think: James Nunnallee.
- LHP Owen Proksch (rising senior, #392): A big (6’3”) lefty, Proksch had a 4.68 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 12.5Ks/9 in 2025. Started 12 games.
- LHP James Tallon (rising senior, #384): Tallon, a 6’5” lefty, had a 3.96 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 12.4Ks/9 in 2025. I like that coming out of the pen.
- OF Tyler Albright (rising senior, #414): Albright hit 10 homers last season, after a total of four in his freshman and sophomore years, with a .298 BA/.937 OPS. Power and a good eye for the strike zone (45 BBs in 2025).
- SS RJ Holmes (incoming freshman #479): Perfect Game says Holmes has pure shortstop/centerfield athleticism, with pop in the bat and speed.
- OF AJ Gracia (rising junior): Gracia is a hitter – .293 BA/1.007 OPS, with 15 HRs and 57 BBs in 2025.
- C Macon Winslow (rising junior): Good pop from a defense position – .278 BA/.881 OPS, 9 HRs. I’d worry about the defense part – 14 passed balls, and he allowed 31 steals on 40 attempts.
- 1B Sam Harris (rising junior): Big bat at first – .297 BA/.948 OPS, 9 HRs.
- OF/LHP Kyle Johnson (rising junior): Dual threat – .220 BA/.851 OPS with 4 HRs as an outfielder, 7.19 ERA/1.67 WHIP/9.4Ks/9 on the mound.
- LHP Henry Zatkowski (rising sophomore): Zatkowski showed promise as a freshman – 4.83 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 8.7 Ks/9 in 21 appearances, including 11 starts.
- LHP Max Stammel (rising sophomore): Another guy who had some moments in his freshman season – 4.09 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 10.2 Ks/9 in 22 IP.
- RHP Gabe Nard (rising senior): Innings eater – 4.62 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 8.0 Ks/9 in 50.2 IP.
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Chris Graham
