Chris Pollard Named Head Coach of Virginia Baseball

Pollard began coaching college baseball in 2000 and has proven himself as a program builder, making him more than capable of taking over a team in Charlottesville that has high expectations year in and year out. 

Pollard took over the Blue Devils program in 2012 after garnering experience at Pffeir University and Appalachian State. 

At Duke, Pollard's resume makes him an undeniably good hire for the Hoos, as he's coached 46 Major League Baseball draft picks and seven All-Americans. Pollard has also had recent success as he's led the team from Durham to four Super Regionals in 2018, 2019, 2023, and this past weekend. 

Pollard has also added two ACC Tournament titles in 2021 and 2024. During the latter, the team broke the program home run record for the second consecutive season with 115 before tying that record in 2025. 

He is also the winningest coach in Duke baseball history, having won 420 games, and he's turned the Blue Devils into a fearsome ACC program. 

Before Pollard, the Blue Devils struggled to make the postseason as they had not made it to the NCAA Tournament since 1961, a drought that ended in 2016, showcasing his ability to take a struggling program and flip it into a successful one.

This past season, after making a regional in 2024, Duke not only made it to the Super Regional but hosted Murray State after winning the Athens Regional by defeating Oklahoma State twice and defeating No. 7 seeded Georgia 6-3. 

Against Murray State, the Blue Devils won the opening contest 7-4 before dropping the remaining two games, as the Racers would not be denied an ending to their Cinderella tournament run. Under Pollard, Duke has fallen one game short of a College World Series trip four times, showing how close he is to receiving a ticket to Omaha. 

Now in Charlottesville, Pollard will look to rebuild the Hoos roster utilizing the transfer portal, as many of Virginia's players from this past season are either in the transfer portal or already on their way to Starkville, Mississippi, to join Brian O'Connor. 

So far, Monty Taylor has reported that the entire Duke staff is to follow Pollard to Virginia, providing a surge of confidence for the Hoos. Kendall Rogers has also reported that Duke recruiting coordinator/assistant Derek Simmons will also be in the orange and blue next season. 

With Carla Williams having nabbed her next coach of the Virginia baseball program, it is time to turn our attention to the transfer portal.