Duke infielder Noah Murray enters NCAA transfer portal

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Duke Blue Devils infielder Noah Murray has entered the NCAA transfer portal. Murray just wrapped up his second season with the program, having two years of eligibility remaining. A big name is now on the open market after head coach Chris Pollard left Durham.

Murray found himself in 28 games this past season, starting in nine of them. Results were positive as the infielder finished with an average of .342. An OPS of 1.132 showed Murray’s ability to get on base at a high level while also having some pop in his bat. Eleven walks were drawn as well, compared to just 12 strikeouts.

Coming out of high school, Murray was one of the top-rated players in the state of Virginia. Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 40 player in the state and No. 10 when looking at middle infielders. He has possibly played above his high school outlook thus far, putting good numbers together in limited time at Duke.

Maybe a return to the Commonwealth could be in order. Pollard is the one who got him to Duke but is now the head coach at Virginia. A previous relationship could make this quite an easy portal recruitment for the Cavaliers.

However, no matter where Murray goes, you have to imagine he will be searching for more playing time. His numbers show he can do some real damage when given the opportunity, especially against opponents inside the ACC.

Duke loses head coach Chris Pollard to Virginia after NCAA Touranment loss

Duke fell short of the College World Series this season, losing in the Super Regionals to Murray State. As the offseason begins, they will now be looking for a new head coach as well. Chris Pollard has taken a job elsewhere but remains inside the ACC.

Pollard has taken the Virginia job, replacing Brian O’Connor, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. This comes after Mississippi State hired O’Connor away 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.

This brings an end to a decade-plus-long relationship between Pollard and Duke. He was brought to Durham ahead of the 2013 season and struggled out of the gates. Duke missed the NCAA Tournament in Pollard’s first three years before earning a bid in 2016.