DUKE BASEBALL
Duke comes into my rankings at #23. There are a few factors that could go against them and fall out of contention early but for now, this is where I believe they belong. They have 17 new transfers for Head Coach Chris Pollard with most of them being experienced graduate students. They include:
Jackson Emus- at 6‘5’ and 240 lbs.,he struck out 134 batters in 125 innings at Princeton. He is a right-handed pitching graduate student and allows the Blue Devils some depth in the rotation.
Tim Noone a lefty hurler that is now a grad student from Babson College. He tossed two complete games and held opposing hitters to a .204 batting average.
Logan Bravo is a 6’5” first baseman that started all 44 games at first base for Harvard last season. His very potent bat will play well for Duke. Led the team in hits (52), home runs (seven), RBIs (25), OPS (.909), slugging (.509), while ranking second in average (.304), RBIs (32), runs (34), doubles (14), and OBP (.400).
Jimmy Evans- a 5’9” outfielder that transfers in from Tufts University where he had 45 hits in 139 at bats with a .324 average.
John Gassler is a lefty pitcher from NYU where he had success as a strikeout hurler. Should be a good piece of the roster that fits into a relief role.
Harrison Rodgers comes from Colorado Mesa where he was a hitting machine and could be a solid DH in the ACC. Finished the season with a .338 average, 14 doubles, four triples, and 12 home runs.
Others include: Ben Miller from Penn, Wyatt thompson Chapman
Univ., Zac Morris VMI, Wallace Clark, Oklahoma.
The Duke Blue Devils have some very solid pieces returning. In fact, three players are under consideration as being in the Top100 potential MLB draftees and they are:
Andrew Healy is a right handed pitcher out of Philadelphia, In 2023, he started eleven games and had a 5-1 record with a 2.32 ERA.He possesses low-effort/repeatable with crossfire and deception from the left side, giving him quality starting traits. He isn’t overwhelming at 90-94 MPH, he has solid carry and above-average to plus command to his heater. He has an above average change-up and two breaking pitches. He will likely be drafted 33-8 in the MLB draft.
Jonathan Santucci is a Top 20 pick in the draft as he is a solid left handed pitcher with some velocity and the ability to work both sides of the plate.
Fran Oschell III at 6’7” and 230 lbs, he is a monster on the mound. Posted a perfect 6-0 record out of the bullpen for the Blue Devils in his 22 appearances… Finished the season with a 0.69 ERA allowing just three earned runs to score… Punched out 66 batters to his 18 walks and held opponents to a .133 average.
This is a well rounded team that could make some noise that is unexpected.
