Brian O'Connor believes Duke's time in Omaha is coming under Chris Pollard

As Virginia coach Brian O’Connor took the podium following the Cavaliers’ win against Duke to reach the College World Series, his first words were about the opponent. O’Connor has been on the losing end of a Super Regional before, but wanted Blue Devils coach Chris Pollard to know it doesn’t take away from the rest of the season.

It took O’Connor six seasons until he led Virginia to the CWS in 2009, so he knows having patience is key. However, based on what he saw from Pollard and Duke this year, he believes they can get there eventually.

“I want to congratulate the Duke team on a tremendous season,” O’Connor said. “They’ve got a great team and they’ve got a great program and their day in Omaha is coming. I think sometimes your first time when you go there — I said the same thing about East Carolina last weekend — the first time, a lot of times, happens when you least expect it.”

Chris Pollard has been the coach at Duke since 2013, but has yet to lead them to a College World Series. He has had just two losing seasons since then and has amassed a 278-199 record while guiding them to Regional victories in three of the past six seasons. He also coached them to an ACC Tournament victory in the 2021 season.

This year, Duke finished with a 39-24 but was not chosen to be a Regional host. They still made it out after defeating No. 10 overall seed Coastal Carolina 12-3 to advance. They then opened the Super Regional with a 5-4 win to put the pressure on the Cavaliers, whom they won the regular season series against.

“Duke’s got a tremendous coach in coach Pollard and a great staff and great players,” O’Connor said. “I just first want to congratulate them on a great season. Getting to Omaha is very, very difficult to do. It takes a lot of things. It takes a lot more than just talent.”

Although Duke went on to lose the final two games by a combined score of 26-6, it doesn’t take away from the bright future of the team. The Blue Devils bring back players such as Jay Beshears, Alex Mooney and Alex Stone, who combined for 239 hits this past season.

It’s been a long time since Duke last made the trip to the CWS, with their last appearance coming in 1961. But with the returning players and leadership from Pollard, O’Connor wouldn’t be surprised if that ends soon.