Duke baseball transfer AJ Gracia commits to Virginia

Former Duke standout AJ Gracia has committed to Virginia out of the NCAA transfer portal, he announced on social media on Thursday. Gracia follows former head coach Chris Pollard to his new university.

Gracia, who is the No. 8 prospect in Baseball America’s 2026 draft rankings, entered the transfer portal with a do not contact tag. Given the circumstances, he was likely already aware of his next desitination.

“First off, I want to thank Duke University for giving me the opportunity to wear a Blue Devil uniform for the past two seasons,” he wrote on Instagram. “I am so grateful for the memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. With that being said, I have decided to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Virginia, and cannot wait to become a Cavalier.”

Gracia is one of several Blue Devils baseball players to hit the portal following Pollard’s departure for UVA. This past season, Gracia slashed 293/.449/.558 to go with 54 RBIs, 15 home runs and 10 doubles. He joins Kyle Johnson, Macon Winslow and Sam Harris as some of the notable departures from Duke’s 2025 roster.

Moreover, members of Pollard’s staff are expected to join him in Charlottesville as well. That includes pitching coach Brady Kirkpatrick, hitting coach Eric Tyler, director of recruiting/analytics Brian Sakowsk and infielders coach/recruiting coordinator Derek Simmons, according to Baseball America.

Pollard finished his time at Duke with an overall record of 419-293. If you include stops at Division III Pfeiffer and Appalachian State, his record grows to 804-611-2. Based off these statistics, a proven winner is making his way to Virginia, hoping to bring similar success up to Charlottesville.

He was hired after Mississippi State hired away longtime head coach Brian O’Connor earlier in the offseason, hoping to get their own program back on the right track. Now, Duke will be going up against Pollard on a near-annual basis with the move inside the conference.

The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Industry recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.