Duke baseball’s starting catcher announces transfer to rival school
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Duke catcher Macon Winslow transfers to rival UNC after head coach's exit.
- Winslow fills UNC roster gap as MLB-bound Luke Stevenson prepares for draft.
- Pollard's departure triggered 18 transfers, reshaping Duke's baseball roster.
Duke baseball’s starting catcher, Macon Winslow, is switching rivalry sides. The sophomore announced on Monday night he is transferring to UNC after two seasons with the Blue Devils.
One day after Duke fell to Murray State in the Durham Super Regional, Winslow entered the transfer portal with a do not contact tag, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. The news came after head coach Chris Pollard left Duke to become the head coach at Virginia.
But instead of following Pollard to UVA, like five other former Blue Devils have, Winslow is looking to fill a gap behind the plate for the Tar Heels. North Carolina’s starting catcher for the past two seasons, sophomore Luke Stevenson, is expected to declare for the Major League Baseball Draft as he is projected to be a first round pick.
Following a freshman season split catching and playing in the outfield, Winslow earned Duke’s primary catcher position this past season, starting in 56 out of 62 games. At the plate, the sophomore hit .278 with nine home runs, 48 RBI, 31 walks and 54 strikeouts.
As a recruit out of high school, Winslow was ranked the No. 1 catcher in North Carolina — top-six in the country. This season, he earned a nod on the Buster Posey Midseason Watch List for the top catcher in Division I baseball.
Twenty three Duke players have entered the transfer portal — 18 of which entered following the news of Pollard’s departure, per The Chronicle.
This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Duke baseball’s starting catcher announces transfer to rival school."