Star Duke recruit flips commitment to Virginia

By Jerry Ratcliffe

New Virginia baseball coach Chris Pollard already has secured his first high school recruit after Jayden Stroman announced he had flipped his commitment from Duke to UVA.

Stroman, a pitcher/outfielder from Long Island, N.Y., is the younger brother of New York Yankees right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman. The younger Stroman, who spent 11th grade at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., played his senior season back home in Long Island, pitching for Patchogue-Medford.

Stroman throws in the mid- to upper 90s.

He may not be the only player to follow Pollard to Charlottesville.

Macon Winslow, Duke’s star sophomore catcher, entered the transfer portal with a do not contact tag, meaning he knows where he’s headed. Winslow drilled 9 home runs and 48 RBI this past season and walked 40 times.

Another Blue Devil with a do not contact tag in the portal is star sophomore outfielder A.J. Gracia, a second-team All-ACC player. He is projected as a first-round pick in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft.

Also, sophomore power hitter Sam Harris, who hit 9 homers and had a hitting line of .297/.385/.563 has a do not contact tag.

While another Blue Devil in the portal does not have that tag, Crozet native Noah Murray, a sophomore this past season, was a key reserve for Duke this past season, who had nine starts. The infielder carried a .342 average with 10 RBI.