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Chris Pollard takes two key Duke players with him to Virginia
Chris Pollard takes two key Duke players with him to Virginia
Not a great start to the post-Chris Pollard era of Duke Blue Devils baseball. Star player AJ Gracia and Kyle Johnson are both heading to Virginia to join Pollard with the Cavaliers. It stings when you lose any player to the transfer portal, but it feels like a double dose when they go to a fellow ACC rival.
Gracia hit 15 home runs this past season and drove in 54 runs while batting .293 and drew 57 walks. Last season, he ended the year with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs. He was a career .299 batter for the Blue Devils, and now he takes his talents to Charlottesville.
Johnson is a Virginia native and will return to his home state with the Cavaliers. The two-way player finished the year 4-4 with 43 strikeouts to 26 walks. His ERA was a bit high at 7.19. He added four home runs and 19 RBIs as a hitter for Duke this past season.
Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball reported the news of Gracia and Johnson following Pollard.
The Blue Devils have yet to name a replacement for Pollard as the new head coach of Duke baseball, but many believe it will be Josh Jordan, who is currently the assistant coach at LSU. He was a long-time assistant under Pollard with the Blue Devils from 2012 to 2022. He helped LSU win a national championship, and many hope he will bring that level of aspiration to Durham.
