Tag: ACC Baseball Tournament

Duke outfielder Devin Obee set to enter transfer portal

Duke baseball will need to replace a major two-way player after outfielder Devin Obee opted for the transfer portal.

Chris Pollard and his staff will have a new hole to fill on their roster in the coming months.

Senior outfielder Devin Obee opted for the transfer portal and will leave the Duke baseball team after graduating this summer, according to a Tuesday report from D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers.

His name officially began appearing in the transfer portal database that same day.

The loss is significant for Duke from an on- and off-field perspective, as Obee was a leader amongst the team. As a junior, he was a terrific defender with great instincts and provided some significant power with 16 home runs last year alone. He also batted .309 with 11 doubles and two triples, one of two Blue Devils to reach all four of those numbers in 2024.

Duke has seen many departures from the program this past summer due to graduation, the MLB draft, and other transfers out of the program.

Chase Krewson, a terrific freshman expected to have a significant role in the future, opted to transfer to UCF. At the same time, Ben Miller shocked everyone by announcing his return to the Duke program for one more season. Pitchers Jonathan Santucci, Charlie Beilenson, and others were drafted to the professional ranks this summer.

With Obee on the way out, Duke will need contributions from players who played minor roles or weren’t even on the team last year to supplement guys like Miller, AJ Gracia, Kyle Johnson, and Ben Miller as they attempt to defend their ACC Tournament title and break through to Omaha for the first time in 2025.

All-ACC third baseman Ben Miller surprises everyone by returning to Duke baseball team

Duke baseball’s All-ACC third baseman Ben Miller announced on Monday that he will return for the 2025 season.

As we speed towards the start of football season and drool over what could happen fin Cameron Indoor Stadium starting in November, the Duke baseball team just received some major news of its own on Monday.

Ben Miller, a significant part of Duke’s team in 2024, announced on Monday that he would return for one final season with the Duke team.

Miller is no stranger to Durham. He grew up there. Before Duke, Ben played collegiate baseball at Penn, the Ivy League school. He then transferred home to play his fourth year of college baseball.

With one final year of eligibility, Miller decided to play with the Blue Devils for one more season instead of seeking professional opportunities. He started in all 55 games in 2024, leading the team with a .360 batting average. He scored 56 runs from the top of the lineup while tallying 82 hits, including 18 doubles, one triple, and 15 home runs. He drove in 49 runs for an explosive Duke offense.

Last year, he posted 13 two-hit days, six three-hit days, and one four-hit day. In short, he was a firestarter for Chris Pollard and the Duke team. At the end of the season, he was named the All-ACC First Team third baseman and was a big force in the conference tournament as Duke clenched an ACC Tournament title.

Miller’s return can’t be overstated. It gives Duke leadership and instant offense and fills a significant hole in the infield that Duke could’ve struggled to fill.

 

Fresh off ACC Tournament title, Duke baseball heads to Oklahoma as No. 2 seed in the Norman Regional

Duke earns the second seed in the Norman Regional after winning the 2024 ACC Tournament Title.

The newly minted 2024 ACC Tournament champions are headed to Norman, Oklahoma.

Following their offensive explosion against Florida State in the ACC title game, many around the Duke program thought there was a chance that the Blue Devils could sneak a late hosting bid away. Sunday night, the NCAA disproved that by now awarding Duke with a top-16 seed. On Monday, the Blue Devils discovered which regional they would participate in.

The Blue Devils will head to Norman, hoping to advance to the Super Regionals for the second consecutive year. This will be no tall task, as the hosting Oklahoma Sooners are a well-rounded ball club with offense, defense, and a deep pitching unit that features quality starters and challenging bullpen options in relief. Oklahoma dominated the Big 12, posting a 23-7 record in the conference. They also came up just short of winning the tournament title.

The Big East regular season champion, the Connecticut Huskies, are also in the region and they are no slouches. Lastly, the Blue Devils will have the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, this year’s Summit League tournament champions, to contend with.

Regionals will run from May 31 through June 3 at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman. Duke (39-18) is slated to open the regional against No. 3 seed UConn (32-23) on Friday at 8 p.m. EST. The game can be seen on ESPN+.

The winner of the double-elimination NCAA Regional will advance to a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional, which will run from June 6-8 or 7-9. The Norman Regional winner will face the winner of the Tallahassee Regional, which features Florida State, Alabama, UCF, and Stetson.

Three Blue Devils named to ACC Baseball All-Tournament team after title game victory

It should come as no surprise that Tournament MVP Devin Obee earned ACC Baseball All-Tournament Team honors, but which two Blue Devils joined him?

The ACC released the All-Tournament Team for the conference baseball tournament shortly after Duke took home the title, and a trio of Blue Devils appeared on the honored list.

Centerfielder Devin Obee won Tournament MVP honors after he hit three home runs and drove in eight RBIs over the four-game postseason run, so no fans should be surprised to see him among the three outfielders honored.

None of his hits mattered more than Sunday’s grand slam against Florida State in the title game, a blast that gave Duke a 10-run lead.

Duke catcher Alex Stone, who hit home runs against Miami and Virginia Tech, earned the catcher spot after he finished with four hits and three RBIs for the week.

Reliever Charlie Beilenson rounded out the three Blue Devils honorees after he spent 6.1 innings on the mound and allowed just two earned runs. He shut out both the Hurricanes and the Seminoles over the weekend, giving up just one hit in both appearances, and he finished the tournament with nine strikeouts.

Despite both players hitting multiple home runs, second baseman Zac Morris and third baseman Ben Miller both missed out on the roster.

The runner-up Seminoles were the only other team with three nominees, and Wake Forest earned two.

Duke centerfielder Devin Obee named ACC Baseball Tournament MVP after three home runs

Obee hit a grand slam during Sunday’s dominant victory over Florida State, his third home run over the last three games en route to MVP honors.

Duke baseball took home its second ACC Tournament title in program history on Sunday with a 16-4 win over Florida State, and centerfielder Devin Obee earned Tournament MVP honors after he mashed three home runs over the Blue Devils’ final three games.

The junior outfielder finished Duke’s four-game tournament run with three home runs, seven hits, and eight RBIs after batting .500 for the week.

After one hit during an opening victory over Virginia Tech, he mashed a two-run home run in the sixth inning during Thursday’s winner-take-all game against NC State to advance out of pool play. The ball initially got ruled a double because it clanged off of some scaffolding right above the wall and back into the outfield, but in an amusing twist of fate, the UNC baseball team protested the call from the stands and prompted a video review that awarded Obee a home run.

He produced similar heroics against the Hurricanes during Saturday’s semifinal victory, another blowout in Duke’s favor. In the middle of a six-run eighth inning that busted the Blue Devils out of a tie game, Obee lofted his second two-run homer in two games.

His grand slam against the Seminoles on Sunday, his third home run in three games, busted the game apart to give Duke a 10-run lead.

Duke ended up winning its last three games of the tournament by 25 combined runs partially thanks to Obee’s offensive display, and the ACC recognized him as the best player of the week.

Duke baseball hits two grand slams during ACC title game victory over Florida State

Duke baseball outscored Florida State 16-4 in Sunday’s ACC title game thanks to two grand slams from Ben Miller and Devin Obee.

Duke baseball scored 16 runs during Sunday’s dominant victory over Florida State in the ACC title game, a 12-run victory to give the Blue Devils their second conference title in four years.

Half of those runs came in two fell swoops when Ben Miller and Devin Obee both hit grand slams during the middle innings of the game, growing Duke’s lead from three runs to 10 over the course of one hour.

In the top of the fourth inning, Duke led 5-2 but loaded the bases without any outs to give themselves a chance to create some distance. Miller, the All-ACC First Team third baseman, dug his feet into the box. On his second pitch of the at-bat, he pummeled a ball straight up into the air that kept going…and going…and going all the way over the right-field wall for a grand slam.

Miller’s teammates gifted him the team hard hat for the effort, too, a fun look into how loose Chris Pollard’s team seems to be ahead of the postseason.

Obee, who was later named the tournament’s MVP, also strode to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth. He promptly launched his third home run in three games, Duke’s second grand slam of the afternoon.

The Blue Devils tacked on two more runs after Obee’s slam, but with a 10-run lead entering the final three innings, it didn’t mean much. The two Duke sluggers ended the game themselves with two cracks of the bat.

Duke uses two grand slams to demolish Florida State 16-4 and capture second ACC Tournament Title

Duke uses two grand slams to propel them to second ACC Tournament Title.

A new champion has emerged in the ACC Baseball realm, and they hail from Durham, NC.

On a Sunday afternoon, Chris Pollard and his team showcased their resilience, demolishing a top 10-ranked Florida State squad 16-4 to claim Duke’s second-ever ACC Tournament title.

Duke entered the tournament as the sixth seed, and while there was no doubt about their inclusion in next week’s NCAA Tournament, the Duke players had a chip on their shoulder to perform better against the ACC’s best of the best than they had in the regular season. They lost a few close games, ultimately the difference between Duke finishing as a three-seed or higher in the conference tournament.

After losing two of three in the regular season to them, Duke knew the Seminoles would be challenging. 

And from the outset, things were dicey quickly as James Tallon served up a two-run home run to Cam Smith of FSU to start the game.

Down two runs, Duke didn’t panic, and in the top of the second, the Blue Devils hit the gas and would never look back.

After loading the bases, Oklahoma transfer Wallace Clark came up with a chance to do damage. He would get hit by the at-bat’s first pitch, which cut into Florida State’s lead to 2-1.

FSU brought in Noah Short for Carson Dorsey, and Duke star freshman Kyle Johnson roped a two-run double down the left field line, pushing Duke ahead for a 3-2 lead. Later that inning, AJ Gracia blooped a two-run single to give the Blue Devils a 5-2 lead.

In the fourth, Ben Miller left his handprint on the game when he hammered a grand slam to make it 9-2. The Seminoles got two runs back in the bottom of the inning with a Jaime Ferrer two-run homer, but the Duke offense was still going strong.

 

Outfielder Chase Krewson drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the sixth to make it 10-4, and then senior Devin Obee smashed the second Blue Devil grand slam of the day moments later.

Duke would allow no more runs and would cruise to the title the rest of the way.

Duke’s offense was remarkable this tournament, and they showcased why on Sunday. They did it in many ways, piecing together rallies and using the long ball to score. Devin Obee was named ACC Tournament MVP after he hit three home runs in the final three games.

The win improved the Blue Devils to 39-18 on the season.  Duke is looking to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 1961 and eventually pursue the first national championship in program history. After being dropped to a No. 2 seed in most postseason projections, the Blue Devils did their best to make a case to host at least a regional round.

Duke baseball’s ACC tournament victory and celebration in photos

The Blue Devils offense blazed through Charlotte, culminating in a runaway win over Florida State in Sunday’s title game. Check out the week’s best photos here.

For the second time in four years, Duke baseball took home the ACC tournament title.

The Blue Devils absolutely burned their way through Truist Field in Charlotte, scoring 43 runs in four games. The effort culminated in a 16-4 blowout over Florida State on Sunday, a team that defeated Duke in a weekend series just weeks earlier. Ben Miller and Devin Obee both hit grand slams, the latter serving as Obee’s third home run in three days.

The Duke pitching staff did its part, too. After giving up eight runs during a narrow win over Virginia Tech to open pool play, they held NC State, Miami, and the Seminoles to seven combined runs over the final 27 innings. Duke outscored its last three opponents by more than eight runs per game.

Duke now awaits the selection show to see if they earned one of the 16 regional host spots for this postseason, but a conference crown gives them favorable odds.

Here are the best photos from the team’s statement weekend.

Duke baseball will play Florida State in Sunday’s ACC championship game

The Blue Devils, fresh off back-to-back offensive explosions, will play the Seminoles with a conference tournament title on the line.

Duke baseball, with an offense in full form, will battle Florida State in Sunday’s ACC championship game.

After winning a pool with NC State and Virginia Tech thanks to a six-run fifth inning against the Wolfpack on Thursday, the Blue Devils hung six runs on Miami in the eighth inning en route to a semifinal victory on Saturday.

Across its last 25 innings at the plate (no bottom of the ninth against Virginia Tech or the Hurricanes), the Blue Devils have raked in 27 runs and mashed nine home runs. Centerfielder Devin Obee and catcher Alex Stone each have two, with Obee cranking one in each of the last two games, and second baseman Zac Morris has already hit three.

A Sunday victory could be enough for Duke to host a regional in Durham, too. After a rocky end to the regular season saw Duke lose seven of its last 13 games and each of its last three conference series (including one to the Seminoles), D1Baseball and other projections dropped the Blue Devils down to a No. 2 seed. A tournament win over what has been the deepest conference in college baseball this season could vault Duke back into the top 16 spots.

Sunday’s first pitch is scheduled for noon Eastern time.

Duke baseball advances to ACC title game after huge eighth inning against Miami

The Blue Devils overcame an early deficit with a six-run eighth inning to book their spot in the conference championship game.

The Duke Blue Devils will play for the ACC title on Sunday.

The Duke baseball team used a six-run eighth inning to overwhelm the Miami Hurricanes in Saturday’s semifinal game, winning 8-2 in order to keep their tournament alive.

The Hurricanes actually drew first blood during Saturday’s game. After the two offenses combined for two walks, no hits, and one double-play during the first three innings, Miami third baseman Daniel Cuvet launched a ball into the night sky for a two-run home run in the top of the fourth.

That hit marked the second-to-last at-bat for Duke starter Ryan Higgins, and praise for Saturday’s win must begin and end with the Blue Devils bullpen. Gabriel Nard, Fran Oschell III, and Charlie Beilenson combined for 5.1 scoreless innings with a single hit allowed. Miami only generated three base runners over the closing five innings at the plate, and no member of the Hurricanes reached third base.

The Duke offense slowly crawled its way into the game. Three walks and a single in the bottom of the fifth brought home the first run, one-run ballgame. Two hits and a sacrifice fly brought home the second, tie game.

Then, carnage erupted in the eighth. After 7.1 innings of impressive work between Herick Hernandez and Nick Robert, with a runner on first and one out, Miami brought out Myles Caba on the mound.

Duke catcher Alex Stone promptly did this to his eighth pitch of the game.

Miami swiftly reeled in Caba after he allowed another single, replacing him with Brandon Olivera. Devin Obee, less patient than Stone, did this to Olivera’s third pitch of the night.

The game entirely unraveled from there. Well, it already had unraveled, but the Hurricanes lost contain. Olivera coughed up a walk and two singles in his next four batters, and the fourth at-bat still reached base safely due to a fielding error.

Two more runs came home in the meantime, and within the span of 30 minutes, the door slammed shut on Miami’s ACC tournament run.

Duke advances to play Florida State in Sunday’s championship game.