| Chris Pollard | |
| Current Title: | Head coach |
| Current Team: | Duke |
| Current Conference: | ACC |
| Current Record: | 379–274 |
| Birth Place: | Durham, North Carolina |
| Alma Mater: | Davidson '96 |
| Player Years1: | 1993–1996 |
| Player Team1: | Davidson |
| Player Years2: | 1996 |
| Player Team2: | Sioux Falls Canaries |
| Player Years3: | 1996 |
| Player Team3: | Salinas Peppers |
| Player Positions: | P |
| Coach Years1: | 1998 |
| Coach Team1: | Durham Braves |
| Coach Years2: | 1999 |
| Coach Team2: | Davidson (asst.) |
| Coach Years3: | 2000–2004 |
| Coach Team3: | Pfeiffer |
| Coach Years4: | 2005–2012 |
| Coach Team4: | Appalachian State |
| Coach Years5: | 2013–present |
| Coach Team5: | Duke |
| Admin Years1: | 2003–2004 |
| Admin Team1: | Pfeiffer |
| Overall Record: | 764–580–2 |
| Tournament Record: | NCAA: 16–15 ACC: 12–4 SoCon: 10–14 |
| Championships: | 2x Conference Carolinas: 2003, 2004 SoCon: 2012 2x ACC: 2021, 2024 |
| Awards: | Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year: 2004 SoCon Coach of the Year: 2012 |
Chris Pollard is an American baseball coach and former pitcher, who is the current head baseball coach of the Duke Blue Devils.[1] [2] He played college baseball at Davidson for head coach Dick Cooke from 1993 to 1996 before playing professionally in 1996. He then served as the head coach of the Pfeiffer Falcons (2000–2004) and Appalachian State Mountaineers.
Pollard is from Amherst County, Virginia, and[3] attended high school at Virginia Episcopal School and college at Davidson College and played for the Wildcats baseball team for four years. He pitched in the competitive Southern Conference, and ranks third all-time at Davidson in wins. He also ranks highly in the Davidson record books for strikeouts, appearances, starts, innings pitched, complete games and shutouts. As a sophomore, he earned wins over #1 ranked Georgia Tech and #25 ranked . He also earned the win in both games of a double header against as a junior. After graduating in 1996, Pollard played in the independent Western League and Northern League before beginning his coaching career.
Pollard began his coaching career as an assistant at Davidson. After one season, he became head coach at Division II member Pfeiffer, which he rebuilt over five seasons. In his final season, the Falcons set a school record for wins with a record of 41–14 and their second consecutive Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference championship. Pollard was named conference Coach of the Year, and was also rewarded with the head coaching position at Appalachian State, a Southern Conference rival of his alma mater Davidson. Pollard spent eight seasons with the Mountaineers, claiming the school's first conference championship since 1987 in his final 2012 campaign. ASU's at-large trip to the 2012 NCAA tournament ended just one win shy of a Super Regional. Pollard was named head coach at Duke shortly after the end of the tournament run.[4] [5] [6] [7]
Below are tables of Pollard's yearly records as an NCAA and collegiate summer baseball head coach.[8] [9]
| Season | Team | Record | Standing | playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Durham | 24–23 | 4th | ||
| Total | 24–23 | ||||