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Corey Muscara (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)
Duke is expected to hire Wake Forest pitching coach Corey Muscara as head baseball coach, sources told Baseball America.
Muscara would replace longtime skipper Chris Pollard, who led the Blue Devils to four super regional appearances and helped elevate the program into national relevance over the past decade before taking the head coaching job at Virginia earlier this month.
Muscara has developed a reputation as one of the nation’s premier pitching minds. His second season with Wake Forest in 2023 culminated in a College World Series berth and program-record 54 wins. His arrival at Duke would signal the Blue Devils’ intent to continue contending on the national stage with a pitching-forward identity.
In 2023, Muscara’s pitching staff was the driving force behind one of the best seasons in Wake Forest history. The Demon Deacons led the nation in ERA (2.83), WHIP (1.05), hits allowed per nine innings (6.59), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.26) and strikeouts per nine innings (12.1). They also topped the ACC in shutouts (10) and walks allowed per nine (2.83) while winning every ACC series en route to Omaha.
That group was anchored by four arms—Rhett Lowder, Sean Sullivan, Seth Keener and Josh Hartle—posting the four lowest ERAs in the ACC. All four, plus closer Camden Minacci, earned All-ACC honors. Lowder’s season, in particular was historic, as he went 15-0 with 143 strikeouts and a 1.87 ERA. He became the second-highest MLB Draft pick in Wake Forest history, going seventh overall to the Reds.
Muscara has been instrumental in not just developing star pitchers, but sustaining elite performance across a full staff. Hartle, under Muscara’s guidance, turned in one of the best freshman seasons in program history, while Minacci and others elevated into national relevance. Ultimately, Muscara helped produce a group that powered Wake to wins over Stanford and LSU in the College World Series.
Muscara’s track record extends far beyond Winston-Salem. Prior to Wake, Muscara served as Maryland’s pitching coach from 2018 to 2021, helping the Terrapins to their first back-to-back 30-win seasons since 2014. In 2021, Maryland won multiple NCAA Tournament games for the first time in six years.
Before that, he spent five years at St. John’s, where his pitchers earned three consecutive Big East Pitcher of the Year honors and helped the Red Storm reach two NCAA Tournaments. From 2013–17, nine of his pitchers were selected in the MLB Draft, and the team finished eighth nationally in ERA in 2017.
Muscara began his coaching career at Southern New Hampshire, where his 2012 pitching staff led Division II in ERA and K/9 and reached the College World Series. He also served as recruiting coordinator there, a role he’s continued to excel in throughout his career.
For Duke, the hire signals both continuity and ambition. Muscara brings deep ACC experience, national credibility and a history of developing elite arms in both high-pressure and resourceful environments. His move across the state could mark the beginning of a new era in Durham—one built on power pitching, elite development and Omaha aspirations.
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