Making the case for, against hiring Chris Pollard as South Carolina's next baseball coach

After falling short of the College World Series for the 12th consecutive season, the South Carolina baseball team decided to move on from Mark Kingston. The Gamecocks are now looking for a new head coach to lead the program in the coming years.

Duke head coach Chris Pollard has recently emerged as a potential candidate for the role. Here are the reasons for why and why not the Gamecocks should have Pollard fill that vacancy.

[GamecockCentral for $1: In-depth coverage and a great community]

Why South Carolina should hire Pollard

South Carolina’s failure to advance past the first round of the most recent NCAA Tournament served as one of the lowest points the program has experienced in recent years. But Pollard has proven he can lead a team from a lower point to that to success.

When Pollard was hired ahead of the 2013 season, the Blue Devils had not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 1961. Duke finished the final year of Sean McNally’s tenure with a 21-34 overall record and 9-21 mark against ACC opponents.

After three more seasons of postseason-less baseball, the Blue Devils eventually snapped that streak and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Pollard. And the team has continued to excel in tournament play, making five more appearances and three trips to the Super Regionals since 2018. Should Pollard be given more resources to work with, evidence shows he may be able to help South Carolina experience a similar turnaround.

Pollard also has plenty of experience when it comes to coaching in the Carolinas. Prior to joining Duke’s staff, he was the head baseball coach at Appalachian State. There, he led the Mountaineers to one of their best runs of success in program history. He registered six straight 30-win seasons and helped Appalachian State reach its first NCAA Tournament in 25 years in 2012.

The Carolinas have come one of the most talent-rich areas of the country as it pertains to college baseball. The time Pollard has spent coaching there should lend itself well to a potential job at South Carolina.

[On3 App: Get South Carolina push notifications from GamecockCentral]

Why South Carolina should not hire Pollard

Despite Pollard’s coaching success at Duke and Appalachian State, he has yet to reach the stage of the NCAA Tournament South Carolina would like to return to. In seven total attempts, his teams have only made it as far as the Super Regionals.

Given his ability to quickly turn programs around, it’s only a matter of time before Pollard coaches a College World Series team. But there are some candidates the Gamecocks are looking at who have already done so, and in some cases, done so multiple times.

Another area where Pollard falls behind relative to his peers in consideration for the South Carolina job is in recruiting. According to Perfect Game, Duke had the No. 47 recruiting class this past season. To put this into perspective, the Gamecocks had the No. 20 recruiting class in 2024. Here’s where other head coaching candidate’s recruiting classes ranked in this most recent class:

• Tennessee (Josh Elander) — No. 1
• Wake Forest (Tom Walter) — No. 15
• Louisville (Dan McConnell) — No. 20
• East Carolina (Cliff Godwin) — No. 39

It’s important to note that Pollard isn’t completely responsible for recruiting — assistant coach Ty Blankmeyer handles most of the Blue Devils’ recruiting efforts. It may also be an indication that Duke is still perceived by recruits as an “up and coming” program, rather than a perennial contender. But he is slightly behind most of South Carolina’s other head coaching candidates in this area.

Discuss South Carolina baseball on The Insiders Forum!