Pollard Named NC Amateur Coach of the Year

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke baseball head coach Chris Pollard was honored Friday as the 2014 recipient of the Walter Rabb Award, presented annually to the North Carolina Amateur Baseball Coach of the Year.

“I'm very proud to accept the Walter Rabb Award,” said Pollard. “It is an honor to be listed alongside the prestigious group of coaches who have won this award in the past and it's humbling to accept this award from George Whitfield, an ABCA Hall of Famer who has done so much for the game of baseball in North Carolina. This award is validation of the fact that we have a tremendous group of assistant coaches and hard-working players who came together unified by a common goal to make 2014 a very special year.”

In just his second season at the helm of the Duke baseball program, Pollard led the Blue Devils to the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2009. Duke finished fourth overall in the conference standings while the Blue Devils' 16 ACC wins tied the program record. In addition, the Blue Devils finished in the top four in the ACC standings for the first time in 20 years.

The Blue Devils cemented their status as one of the top teams in the state of North Carolina, finishing the 2014 season with an 8-1 record against in-state ACC rivals UNC, NC State and Wake Forest. Duke swept North Carolina for the first time since 1994 before taking 2-of-3 from NC State and sweeping Wake Forest as well.

Duke's success did not go unnoticed as the Blue Devils earned a spot in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's national rankings for the first time since the organization began its weekly poll in 1998. Under Pollard's guidance, three members of the 2014 Blue Devil squad heard their names called during the 2014 MLB Draft, while three Duke players also garnered All-ACC accolades, the most since 2009.

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Pollard Named NC Amateur Coach of the Year

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