No. 10 Duke Baseball 2025 College Top 25 Preview

Image credit: Kyle Johnson (Photo Courtesy of Duke Athletics)

Last season: 40-20 (16-14 ACC); eliminated in Norman Regional
Final 2024 ranking: No. 24
Coach (record at school): Chris Pollard (379-274, 13th season)

You can find our complete 2025 preseason Top 25 ranking here.

The Good News

Longtime Duke head coach Chris Pollard went into his 13th offseason atop the program with two goals at the forefront of his mind: introduce more lefthanded hitting and pitching options to his roster to better match up against opponents. While only game results can truly determine how successful Pollard was, his transfer recruiting class seems to have checked the aforementioned boxes. Harvard transfers Jake Berger and Ben Rounds and Georgetown transfer Jake Hyde, all of whom are projected to start for the Blue Devils, are lefthanded batters and join switch-hitting shortstop Wallace Clark, who’s entering his second season in Durham after two at Oklahoma. Duke also brought in southpaw Mark Hindy from William and Mary to bolster its bullpen. Lefty Andrew Healy, righty David Boisvert and two-way lefty Kyle Johnson all return with starting experience to make up Duke’s weekend rotation.

The Bad News

The Blue Devils’ pitching staff won’t come from the same mold it did a year ago when it ranked No. 24 nationally in team ERA. Without 2024 staff ace Jonathan Santucci and all-American closer Charlie Beilenson, who combined to account for nearly 30% of Duke’s strikeouts last season, Pollard said his current collection of arms will likely miss fewer bats due to a more natural-fitting “pitch-to-contact” approach. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the Blue Devils will certainly need to establish success in their new model. Quality defensive play will also be of critical importance in Durham this season.

Player To Know

After a breakout season in 2024 that saw him become the first Duke two-way player to earn freshman all-American honors since Marcus Stroman, outfielder and starting pitcher Kyle Johnson is expected to be at the center of the Blue Devils’ efforts in 2025. On days when he doesn’t pitch, Johnson is a safe bet to start in center field and hit toward the top of Duke’s batting order after slashing .253/.398/.480 with three home runs, six doubles, a triple and 11 RBIs last season. Johnson will also be a part of Duke’s weekend rotation as he looks to build on his freshman campaign that saw him pitch to a 4.38 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 49.1 innings.

Path To Omaha

Duke won 40 games for just the second time in program history in 2024 and won the ACC Tournament along the way for the second time, too. Tabbed a regional No. 2 seed in the Norman Regional, the Blue Devils fizzled out quickly with two losses in three tournament games. To go further, they’ll need the perceived depth of their pitching staff to become a reality and for their offense to maintain the potency that allowed it to rank among the top 30 teams in the country last year in scoring.

Projected 2025 Lineup

Pos	Player	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	HR	RBI	Note
C	Macon Winslow	So.	.250	.340	.386	132	4	17
1B	Sam Harris	So.	.250	.500	.250	4	0	0
2B	Jake Berger*	Sr.	.288	.363	.350	146	1	23	Harvard
3B	Ben Miller	Sr.	.360	.439	.645	228	15	49
SS	Wallace Clark	Sr.	.285	.451	.446	186	5	42
OF	Ben Rounds*	Sr.	.403	.506	.685	149	8	34	Harvard
OF	Kyle Johnson	So.	.253	.398	.480	75	3	11
OF	AJ Gracia	So.	.305	.440	.559	220	14	58
DH	Jake Hyde*	Sr.	.297	.405	.560	232	13	51	Georgetown
Pos	Player	Year	GS	IP	ERA	WHIP	SO	BB	Note
SP	Andrew Healy	Jr.	12	40.2	3.76	1.21	42	17
SP	David Boisvert	Sr.	4	25.0	2.16	0.92	26	10
SP	Kyle Johnson	So.	10	49.1	4.38	1.27	53	19
RP	James Tallon	Jr.	1	32.1	5.29	1.39	37	18
RP	Aidan Weaver	Jr.	2	7.1	17.18	3.55	11	13