Tag: Nick Conte

100 Duke baseball players have now been drafted into the MLB

With the Los Angeles Angels drafting Fran Oschel III on Tuesday, MLB teams have now drafted 100 former Duke baseball players.

The Duke Blue Devils baseball team, with the Tuesday selection of Fran Oschell III, has now produced 100 MLB draft picks across program history.

Oschell, who went in the 12th round to the Los Angeles Angels, became the fourth pick of the 2024 MLB draft, following Jonathan Santucci (second round to the New York Mets), Charlie Beilenson (fifth round to the Seattle Mariners), and Nick Conte (eighth round to the Kansas City Royals).

Two Duke players have gone in the first round, both of whom left for the MLB within the last 15 years. Marcus Stroman became the first first-round pick in school history back in 2012 when the Toronto Blue Jays took him 22nd overall. Bryce Jarvis repeated the feat when the Diamondbacks took him 18th overall in 2020.

Other notable recent picks include Houston Astros outfielder [autotag]Joey Loperfido[/autotag], a seventh-round pick back in 2021 who finally reached The Show earlier this year, and right-hand pitchers Henry Williams and Marcus Johnson, who went within the first four rounds in 2022.

Outside of an abbreviated 2020 draft, the Blue Devils have now produced at least four MLB draft picks every year since 2018.

Duke baseball coach Chris Pollard reacts to Nick Conte getting drafted

Nick Conte, despite collegiate injuries, heard his name called in the eighth round of the MLB draft, and Chris Pollard couldn’t be happier.

Despite dealing with some injuries that limited his time on the mound in Durham, Nick Conte is headed to the MLB.

The Kansas City Royals picked the right-handed pitcher in the eighth round of the 2024 draft on Monday, making him the third Blue Devil off the board. Duke baseball coach Chris Pollard went to social media to describe how happy he was for his former arm.

“Testament to resilience!” Pollard wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “(Conte) has shown grit and an unrelenting commitment to process. His best baseball is ahead of him. Go be great.”

Conte, who missed the entire 2023 season due to injury, only made 20 appearances during his four years in Durham. He finished 2024 with a career-best 4.50 ERA after spending six innings on the mound, and he struck out eight batters while allowing one extra-base hit. He only coughed up 14 hits over his entire Blue Devils career with only two going for multiple bases.

Conte joined Jonathan Santucci (second round, New York Mets) and Charlie Beilenson (fifth round, Seattle Mariners) as Blue Devils on the draft board.

Kansas City Royals draft Duke pitcher Nick Conte in the eighth round of 2024 MLB draft

The Kansas City Royals drafted Duke reliever Nick Conte in the eighth round of the 2024 MLB draft on Monday.

Three Duke Blue Devils have come off the board in the 2024 MLB draft, and all of them call the pitcher’s mound home.

One day after the New York Mets drafted southpaw Jonathan Santucci and hours after the Seattle Mariners took Charlie Beilenson, the Kansas City Royals took right-handed reliever Nick Conte in the eighth round.

Duke fans would be forgiven for not expecting Conte as the third Blue Devil off the board. The reliever offers promising upside with his velocity, but he only made 20 appearances across the last four seasons in Durham. He totaled 18.1 innings across his four-year career, 10.0 of which came in 2021.

He (presumably) leaves Durham with a career ERA of 5.89 and a 3-1 record. He trimmed his ERA down to a career-low 4.50 in 2024, striking out eight batters in six innings. He notched his only decision of the season, a win against Miami, back in April, and he only gave up five hits and three walks for the year.

Conte surrendered an opposing batting average of .209 in college, a beneficial addition for a Royals team already within the top 10 in team ERA for the 2024 season.