No. 12 Duke Opens 2024 Season at the Baseball at the Beach Tournament

Friday, February 16

Conway, S.C.

11 a.m.

Duke University

Indiana

No. 12 Duke Opens 2024 Season at the Baseball at the Beach Tournament

2/15/2024 10:54:00 AM | Baseball

Watch (ESPN+)Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

DURHAM – No. 12 Duke opens the 2024 campaign at the Baseball at the Beach Tournament hosted by Coastal Carolina. The Blue Devils will face off against Indiana on Friday, George Mason on Saturday and host No. 18 Coastal Carolina on Sunday.

Duke returns to the site of its most recent NCAA Regional Championship, defeating host Coastal Carolina, 12-3, on Monday evening to advance to the program's third Super Regional appearance.

Duke in the Polls
D1Baseball – 12
NCBWA – 14
USA Sports Today Coaches Poll – 14
Baseball America – 16
Perfect Game – 23

FRIDAY (2/16)
#12 Duke vs. Indiana
11 a.m. (ET) – Spring Brooks Stadium (Conway, S.C.) – Baseball at the Beach Tournament
VIDEO – ESPN+
Duke – LHP – Jonathan Santucci
Indiana – RHP – Brayden Risedorph

SATURDAY (2/17)
#12 Duke vs. George Mason
11 a.m. (ET) – Spring Brooks Stadium (Conway, S.C.) – Baseball at the Beach Tournament
VIDEO – ESPN+
Duke – LHP – Andrew Healy
George Mason – LHP – Konner Eaton

SUNDAY (2/18)
#12 Duke at #18 Coastal Carolina
3 p.m. (ET) – Spring Brooks Stadium (Conway, S.C.) – Baseball at the Beach Tournament
VIDEO – ESPN+
Duke – RHP – Aidan Weaver
Coastal Carolina – RHP – Ryan Lynch

QUICK HITS

Four regional teams square off at Spring Brooks Stadium to open the 2024 season at the Baseball at the Beach Tournament hosted by Coastal Carolina. The Blue Devils open the tournament with Big 10 favorite Indiana at 11 a.m. on Friday, before taking on Winston-Salem regional participant George Mason at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Duke concludes opening weekend with a rematch of the 2023 Conway Regional Championship, as No. 18 Coastal Carolina hosts the Blue Devils at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Duke is one of nine programs to make the NCAA Tournament five times, appear in three Super Regionals and win a conference championship over the last seven years. The Blue Devils join LSU, ECU, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Stanford, North Carolina, Arkansas and Tennessee.
Eight Duke baseball freshman were tabbed to Perfect Game's top-500 incoming freshman list. Macon Winslow (35), Kyle Johnson (46), Sam Harris (105), AJ Gracia (141), Chase Krewson (166), James Raidt (197), Camron Poe (330) and Mike Miller (458), were all listed inside the top-500 freshman list. Winslow highlighted the list as the sixth-rated catcher in the class and the third overall prospect in the state of North Carolina. He was also tabbed as the No. 8 rated prospect in the league by Perfect Game.
Assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Ty Blankmeyer was named one of the 10 hottest assistant coaching names at the collegiate level by Baseball America in the preseason. Blankmeyer, son of legendary Ed Blankmeyer, was a scout for the Brewers organization and was the signing scout for current big leaguer Sal Frelick, who was drafted No. 15 overall in 2021.
A year removed from one of the greatest bounce back seasons in program history, head coach Chris Pollard returns and has his sights set on some major milestones at Duke. The 12th year skipper begins the 2024 season with a career win total of 339 wins in a Blue Devils' uniform, sitting 17 wins behind Steve Traylor (1988-99) for second all-time with 356. Pollard also is 42 wins away from tying legendary head coach Jack Coombs (1929-52) for first on the all-time Duke wins list with 381.

The Blue Devils were picked third in the Coastal Division behind Virginia and North Carolina in the ACC Preseason Poll, while the consensus No. 1 team in the country, Wake Forest, collected 95 points to take the crown as the overall ACC winner. In D1Baseball's ACC preview earlier this month, Wake Forest and Duke were projected to finish at the top of their respected divisions and face off in Charlotte for an ACC title.

For more information on Duke baseball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeBASE".

Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

#GoDuke