To say the last 24 hours have been difficult for the Duke Baseball program may qualify as the understatement of the year.
However, to add salt to the wound for Duke fans everywhere, let me recap.
It’s my job.
And a pleasure, as well.
First, the Blue Devils were denied a trip to the College World Series by losing to Murray State, 5-4, late Monday night.
Ouch.
Then, Duke, because of a botched call in the bottom of the ninth, had to endure watching not one, but two dogpiles by the Racers on the Devils’ home carpet.
Baseball can be so cruel, yet so gratifying.
Then, just hours later, Duke lost their coach.
To an ACC rival.
To Virginia.
Yep, less than a day after Duke’s baseball season ended with the loss to Murray State, head coach Chris Pollard is heading to Charlottesville as the Cavaliers’ next head baseball coach.
“I am so grateful for my time at Duke,” Pollard said in a statement. “I am forever appreciative of my opportunity to work at this world-class university. I feel truly blessed to coach such a wonderful group of players and develop relationships with so many exceptional people.
Pollard added, “I am excited for this new adventure at the University of Virginia, but I am leaving a big piece of my heart in Durham.”
Now for some humble pie.
Tip of the cap to Virginia Athletics Director Carla Williams.
After the unexpected (?) late-night departure of long-time coach Brian O’Connor, Williams announced she would conduct a national search (wink-wink) to replace O’Connor, who had been in town for 22 years.
The conventional wisdom regarding ADs is that they should always have a short-list of three to five names as possible head coaching replacements in the event of a sudden departure.
Williams had a very short list.
One that began and ended with the name Chris Pollard.
Again, tip of the hat to Williams.
But a deeper dive into the Pollard hiring reveals that this is a huge get for Virginia.
This season, Pollard led the Blue Devils to a 41-21 record and the Athens Regional championship, and their fourth Super Regional appearance in the past seven NCAA Tournaments.
This season was the first that Duke had earned an opportunity to host a Super Regional on its home turf, Jack Coombs Field.
Pollard posted 420 wins in his career at Duke, making him the winningest coach in program history.
Here’s where the deep dive sheds even more light on Williams and the lure of the UVA Baseball program.
This isn’t the first time the big-boy college baseball programs have courted Pollard.
But, it’s the first time he didn’t say, no, thanks.
Pollard has become the top target for elite college programs nationwide.
In 2023, he was offered the head coaching opportunity at Miami, a thoroughbred program in the sport, before ultimately deciding to remain at Duke.
On his decision to remain in Durham, Pollard said this: “The best advice I’ve gotten is don’t mess with happy,” Pollard remarked to the Raleigh News and Observer. “Ath the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to. We’re very happy here, and I don’t want to mess with that.”
Of course, by choosing to remain as head coach, Pollard received some incentives, including improvements to the program’s on-campus stadium and a significant pay increase.
That always comes in handy when seeking happiness.
In June of 2024, South Carolina was in the market for a new baseball coach, and again, the attention turned to Pollard’s direction.
The Gamecocks had just fired Mark Kingston, who compiled a 217-155 record in six seasons.
Pollard’s name came up early in the search, as he was acclaimed for being a program builder and placing players in the MLB Draft.
According to the News & Observer, USC moved quickly to another candidate when Pollard expressed little interest, again, in leaving Durham.
Is it possible that UVA Baseball is in an even better position in the new world order of college baseball than it was just a couple of weeks ago?
Quite possible.
For starters, it’s evident that Pollard wants to be at Virginia and is content with the current financial commitment that the school and its donors have agreed upon.
And quite likely, those resources will only grow.
How about Carla Williams rethinking the weekday travel limitations?
It sure would be nice to replace the current video board with something similar to the one at Scott Stadium.
The astronauts who were stranded on the International Space Station enjoyed that.
And the lights at Disharoon Park?
You can bet on those being replaced before fall ball begins.
Yes indeed, Virginia got its man.
And by all accounts, it was the number one target from the start.
Welcome to town, Coach Pollard.
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