Upcoming Event: Baseball versus #2 North Carolina on April 23, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Baseball
vs #2 North Carolina
Duke Concludes Road Swing at Liberty
4/20/2026 8:39:00 PM | Baseball
DURHAM, N.C. - Duke baseball concludes a stretch of eight road contests in a nine-game span with a midweek trip to Liberty on Tuesday, April 21. The Blue Devils (22-20) and Flames (28-11) meet for the second time in as many weeks, with Duke looking to split the season series after Liberty claimed the first meeting at Jack Coombs Field.
First pitch at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. Fans can watch live on ESPN+, with Matt Warner and Joe Healy on the call.
TUESDAY (4/21)
Duke at Liberty
6 p.m. (ET) – Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium
Watch Live – ESPN+
Duke – RHP Drew Bryan
Liberty – LHP – Matt Porter
QUICK HITS
#GoDuke
First pitch at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. Fans can watch live on ESPN+, with Matt Warner and Joe Healy on the call.
TUESDAY (4/21)
Duke at Liberty
6 p.m. (ET) – Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium
Watch Live – ESPN+
Duke – RHP Drew Bryan
Liberty – LHP – Matt Porter
QUICK HITS
- Duke looks to bounce back after being swept for the first time all season, dropping each of its three road contests at No. 24 Boston College. After an 11-1 defeat on Friday, the Blue Devils fought back during a doubleheader day on Saturday, but eventually fell 4-2 in the first game and a late surge by the Eagles secured the sweep with a 14-6 win.
- Kaden Smith and Matthew Strand paced Duke's offense during the weekend, with Strand logging a pair of home runs and four total RBI, while Smith drove in three of his own. Strand now leads the team in homers (nine) and RBI (33), while Smith is second in both categories with eight home runs and 32 RBI.Â
- Strand has started at catcher in all but two games since February 28, after both Cider Canon and Nolan Johnson suffered early injuries this season. Catcher was a position of strength entering the season, but Strand has taken on the bulk role in stride. The Samford transfer led the team at the plate in March and hit all seven of his home runs that month, with 22 RBI. Strand slashed .365/.423/.794 across 16 games in March and two of his homers were grand slams against ACC competition.Â
- Duke currently sits at 124 stolen bases this season, ranked third in the country.
- On the basepaths against Davidson (March 31), Duke set a new program record for stolen bases in a season, with a double steal in the first inning moving the Blue Devils' season total to 108, surpassing the previous record of 106.Â
- INF Collin Anderson has stepped into a consistent starting role for Duke's infield and led Duke at the plate in its three-game series against Louisville April 2-4. The freshman went 7-of-13 (.538), including a double and a home run. On defense, Anderson made several highlight plays at both second base and shortstop, while playing clean baseball with zero errors. At NC State, Anderson flashed the leather in the Sunday finale, with a diving stop at second to end a Wolfpack threat in the late innings.Â
- INF/OF RJ Hamilton has been a steady starter, consistently batting second in Duke's lineup. The transfer from Vanderbilt is slashing .319/.429/.507 and blasted the fourth home run of his season in the first inning at NC State on Saturday, April 11. The speedster is the first Blue Devil to 20 stolen bases and is 22-for-24 on the basepaths. Hamilton had his hitting streak reach 15 games with a base knock in the first game of the doubleheader at Boston College, but went 0-for-2 with a hit by pitch and walk in the nightcap to snap the hitting streak.
- INF Coltin Quagliano has also made several highlight plays on defense, including a jump throw from the third-base foul territory to get the batter at first base at NC State. The graduate has played and started at the hot corner in all but one game this season.
- OF Michael DiMartini made an impact at the plate in late March at Florida State, with three doubles and a home run helping the junior to a 1.100 slugging percentage. His home run, on Saturday, helped Duke keep pace with a dynamic Florida State offense and his 11 total bases across the three games led the Blue Devils. DiMartini has continued his power surge, blasting home runs in back-to-back plate appearances against Davidson, including going nearly 450 feet against the Wildcats, and logged a 114 mph exit velo on his homer against Liberty
- OF Tyler Albright has already worked 40 walks this season, 10th most nationally. The senior missed four games while in concussion protocol but through 35 games played, Albright is nearly 90% of the way to his previous season-high of 45, set last year in 62 games. The outfielder moved to leadoff to open the Miami series, with Albright's patience at the plate and base-running ability cited by Duke head coach Corey Muscara for the shift in lineup. Albright has also absorbed seven hit-by-pitches, and currently holds the best on-base percentage of his career (.456).
#GoDuke
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