The Duke baseball program will hire Wake Forest pitching coach Corey Muscara as the team's next head coach. This comes just over a week after former longtime Blue Devils head coach Chris Pollard left Durham to take over as the head coach at the University of Virginia.
Early on in Vice President Nina King and Duke's search for its next head baseball coach, LSU assistant Josh Jordan was seen as the favorite, but an announcement couldn't officially be made due to the Tigers still playing in the Men's College World Series. However, the Blue Devils have decided to go in a different direction and bring in a positional coach from within the ACC to coach the team.
Muscara was awarded 2023 Assistant Coach of the Year by D1Baseball.com
"We are thrilled to welcome Corey Muscara as the next head coach of Duke Baseball," King said. "Corey is one of the most respected pitching minds in the country, and his track record of developing elite student-athletes while competing at the highest levels speaks for itself. His passion, energy and commitment to excellence align perfectly with the values of Duke Athletics. I am confident Corey will build upon the strong foundation of our program and lead Duke Baseball to sustained success on and off the field."
Muscara is an experienced mind in the college game and has been involved with collegiate baseball for many years. From 2022-2025 as the pitching coach for the Demon Deacons, Muscara helped lead Wake Forest to a 172-75 record along with 4 NCAA Tournament appearances and one College World Series appearance.
He began his coaching career at Southern New Hampshire before serving as an assistant coach at St. John's from 2013-2017. In that span, Muscara coached four All-American selections.
Muscara then moved on to the University of Maryland in 2018, where he remained until heading to Winston-Salem, NC, to be a part of the Demon Deacons' staff.
Now, Muscara will remain in the Atlantic Coast Conference, earning his first head coaching gig with the Duke baseball program. After the success that Pollard was able to deliver over his tenure, King and the rest of those involved with Duke Athletics are hoping Muscara can do the same.