ACC

Duke baseball coach sidelined by COVID-19, will miss part of series at Georgia Tech

Duke head coach Chris Pollard watches during N.C. State’s game against Duke in the ACC Baseball Championship game at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, May 30, 2021.
Duke head coach Chris Pollard watches during N.C. State’s game against Duke in the ACC Baseball Championship game at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, May 30, 2021. ehyman@newsobserver.com

Duke’s baseball team will play ACC games at Georgia Tech this weekend without head coach Chris Pollard leading the team in the dugout.

Pollard tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss at least the first two games of the three-game series that begins Friday at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, according to information provided by Duke.

Associate head coach Josh Jordan will serve as the acting head coach in Pollard’s absence.

Games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday. Pollard’s availability for Sunday’s series finale, scheduled for a 2 p.m. start, will be determined by COVID-19 test results.

While the rest of the team traveled together by bus, Pollard drove himself to Atlanta to be in place should he be cleared to return.

In his 10th season at Duke, Pollard led the Blue Devils to their first ACC tournament championship in program history last season.

This season, the Blue Devils (16-21, 6-12 ACC) are in danger of missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017. However, Duke is coming off a three-game sweep over then-No. 10 Notre Dame at Jack Coombs Field last weekend.

This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 1:03 PM with the headline "Duke baseball coach sidelined by COVID-19, will miss part of series at Georgia Tech."

Steve Wiseman
The News & Observer
Steve Wiseman was named Raleigh News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun sports editor in May 2025. He covered Duke athletics, beginning in 2010, prior to his current assignment. In the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest, he placed in the top 10 in beat writing in 2019, 2021 and 2022, breaking news in 2019, event coverage in 2025 and explanatory writing in 2018. Before coming to Durham in 2010, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989. 
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