Duke Professional Athletes

For one afternoon in Miami, Marlins Field looked like a Duke reunion.

On Sunday, September 27, Griffin Conine and Graham Pauley — both products of Durham — shared the diamond for the Marlins in a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. It was a rare alignment of Blue Devils at the big-league level, and Conine made sure the occasion was memorable.

Conine Does the Heavy Lifting

The left fielder put together one of his better lines of the season: a hit, a home run, an RBI, and a run scored. The long ball pushed his average to .264 on the year — a respectable mark for a player carving out a role in a rebuilding Miami outfield. Conine has always carried the name recognition (his father Jeff played 16 years in the majors), but Sunday was a reminder that the younger Conine is building a resume of his own.

Pauley Holds His Own

Across the diamond at third base, Graham Pauley added a hit of his own, bumping his average to .211. It's been a developmental season for the infielder, who has worked to establish himself at the MLB level. A hit in a winning effort, alongside a former college teammate, is the kind of moment that doesn't show up in the stat line but tends to stick.

Carter's Rangers Come Up Short

Elsewhere in the league, Evan Carter and the Texas Rangers dropped a 6-4 decision to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. Carter, hitting .194 on the season, has dealt with the ups and downs typical of a young outfielder finding his footing in the majors. The Rangers' playoff hopes and Carter's late-season push both bear watching as the regular season wraps up.

The Bigger Picture

Duke doesn't produce MLB talent at the volume of the traditional baseball factories, but the Blue Devils have quietly built a pipeline worth tracking. Between Conine and Pauley suiting up together in Miami and Carter patrolling center field in Arlington, there were at least three Duke alumni in action on Sunday — and a roster of active big leaguers that spans the Mariners' rotation to the Yankees' mound (Marcus Stroman) to the Houston outfield (Joey Loperfido).

Sunday's Marlins win was a small-sample snapshot, but it was a good one for the Duke faithful: two alumni contributing in a winning effort, with Conine's home run as the exclamation point.

Blue Devils in the Bigs: Sept. 20–26

Two Duke alumni share a clubhouse in Miami, and one of them is making a strong case for how to finish a season.

Griffin Conine is on a tear. The Marlins left fielder hit safely in multiple games across the week, posting multi-hit performances against Atlanta and Chicago, and a pair of home runs to punctuate the stretch. On Friday, Sept. 25, Conine went 2-for-the-night against the Braves with a solo home run, an RBI, a run scored, and a walk — the kind of complete plate appearance that doesn't show up in a single box score line. He followed that up Saturday with another two-hit game and an RBI in a 3-8 loss to Atlanta, pushing his batting average to .264 on the season.

Earlier in the week, Conine and the Marlins knocked off the Cubs 3-2, with the Duke product collecting two hits — part of a broader offensive effort that also featured a Kyle Stowers two-run blast. Sunday, Sept. 20 was a split-doubleheader against San Diego, and Conine contributed in both games, including a solo home run in the nightcap. That's two home runs across the week, consistent multi-hit production, and an average that's been quietly climbing.

Graham Pauley, the other Blue Devil stationed in Miami, had a quieter week at third base. The rookie picked up a hit in the Marlins' Wednesday win over Chicago — a 3-2 final — and saw action across the San Diego series on Sunday. His average sits at .210, and while the counting stats haven't popped, Pauley continues to log regular playing time alongside his former college teammate.

The Duke-to-Marlins pipeline is a genuine footnote worth watching: Conine and Pauley represent the kind of alumni overlap that's rare in professional sports, and both are getting genuine big-league reps down the stretch of a rebuilding Miami season.

Elsewhere in the Duke diaspora, Evan Carter had a bright spot in Arlington. The Rangers center fielder went 3-for-the-game on Sunday, Sept. 20 against Toronto — a three-hit performance that brought his average to .195. Carter also drove in a run in a Thursday contest against the Mets. The production hasn't been consistent enough to push his average north of .200, but the raw tools that made him a prospect are still flashing.

The rest of Duke's active MLB alumni — Marcus Stroman in New York, Matt Mervis in Washington, Joey Loperfido in Houston, and a cluster of pitchers scattered across the league — didn't generate notable stats during the period.

The story of the week belongs to Conine. A .264 average, two home runs, and multi-hit games in four of six appearances is a closing argument for a roster spot heading into next season — and a reminder that Duke's baseball program quietly keeps producing professional contributors.

Griffin Conine Is Carrying Miami Down the Stretch

With the Marlins navigating the final weeks of the season, Duke alum Griffin Conine has turned into one of Miami's most reliable bats — and he's backing it up with numbers.

The highlight of Conine's week came against the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he went 3-for-3 in a 4-3 Miami win. Fellow Blue Devil Graham Pauley added a home run in that same game, making it a Duke-tinged afternoon at the plate. Days later, Conine kept the momentum going against Arizona, blasting his 16th home run of the season — part of a Marlins 4-2 extra-innings victory in which Esteury Ruiz's bases-clearing double in the 11th proved decisive.

Conine is hitting .253 on the season, but the recent tear has drawn attention well beyond the box score. Sports Illustrated flagged him as an emerging offensive anchor for Miami, noting that he's been "pushing all the right buttons" over this stretch. For a Marlins squad that hasn't given fans much to cheer about, a Duke alum going off in September is a rare bright spot.

Pauley, also with Miami, has appeared in multiple games this week though his average sits at .211. His home run against the Dodgers was a meaningful contribution in what turned out to be a tight win over the defending World Series contenders.

Loperfido Gets His Shot in Houston

The other Duke story this week comes out of Houston, where Joey Loperfido was recalled from Triple-A to rejoin the Astros. The move came as outfielder Taylor Trammell was placed on the paternity list, opening a roster spot that Loperfido stepped right into.

Loperfido's campaign has been a frustrating stop-and-start affair. He opened the year batting .276 before straining his right quad running to first base on April 17, an injury that sent him to the IL and derailed what had been a promising start. After months of rehab in the minors, he's back in the big leagues.

His first game back came Thursday against Kansas City — the Astros fell 5-2, and Loperfido is hitting .214 since his return. The results haven't been eye-catching yet, but simply getting back on a major league roster after a significant injury is a win in itself. With Houston still in the thick of postseason positioning, how much Loperfido factors into their plans down the stretch will be worth watching.

Carter Contributes in Texas

In the American League, Rangers center fielder Evan Carter chipped in with a multi-game contribution this week. Carter drove in a run in Texas's 6-2 win over Toronto on Saturday and added another RBI the night before against Boston. His average sits at .189 — a number the former Blue Devil will want to improve — but his presence in the lineup has remained consistent.

For a Duke program that has quietly sent a steady stream of talent to pro ball, this September stretch is a reminder of just how many Blue Devils are still competing at the highest level.