Will Virginia turn its attention to Duke’s Pollard?

By Jerry Ratcliffe

With Duke suffering a heartbreaking loss only a step away from advancing to Omaha on Monday night, will Virginia go after Blue Devils coach Chris Pollard?

At least one national report placed Pollard and Wake Forest coach Tom Walter at the top of UVA’s wish list to replace Brian O’Connor, who became college baseball’s second-highest paid coach when he took the Mississippi State head coaching job last week. Updated reports said that Walter may be out of the running after he made a homophobic slur during the Demon Deacons’ game with Tennessee.

The slur was caught by ESPN’s crowd microphone and quickly spread through the sports world.

Certainly that’s not going to go over well at Virginia. Walter has been Wake’s coach since 2009 and led the Deacs to seven NCAA Tournament appearances since 2016 while posting a 495-383 record. He has 927 wins to his credit during his career.

Does that mean UVA AD Carla Williams’ national search will focus on Duke’s Pollard?

It would be a natural transition because Pollard is a native of nearby Amherst County and grew up a huge Virginia and O’Connor fan. He has won everywhere he’s been, from Pfeiffer to Appalachian State, to Duke in 2013. He’s come a long way since breaking into the college ranks in 2000.

Pollard has coached 46 Major League Draft picks and is well respected among major college baseball circles.