Duke Professional Athletes

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.

Two Blue Devils sharing a big-league clubhouse made some noise this week, and a third Duke alum in Texas quietly kept his name in the conversation.

Conine and Pauley: Blue Devil Teammates in Miami

Griffin Conine and Graham Pauley aren't just Duke alumni — they're day-to-day teammates on a Marlins roster grinding through the final stretch of the season, and both showed up when it counted this week.

Conine had the splashier week at the plate. The left fielder went deep on Saturday against the Cubs, finishing that game with a homer, two RBIs, two runs scored, and three walks — a vintage multi-faceted line that pushed his average to .256. It wasn't an isolated burst: Conine also went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored on Wednesday against the Royals, and has been consistently reaching base throughout the stretch, adding a pair of walks in Sunday's contest against the Nationals. Over the full Aug. 30–Sept. 5 window, Conine's bat has been one of the few reliable offensive fixtures in Miami's lineup.

Pauley's week was bookended by a standout moment and some quieter nights. The third baseman's signature performance came Tuesday against the Royals, when he went 2-for-2 with a home run, four RBIs, and two runs scored — a breakout line that lifted his average to .205. The rest of the week was quieter: he went hitless in a couple of appearances and drew a walk Saturday, but that Tuesday showing was the kind of game that reminds a front office why a young infielder is on the roster. Pauley now sits at .195 on the season.

The Conine–Pauley pairing is a genuine rarity in professional sports — two alumni from the same college program not only reaching the majors simultaneously but landing on the same team. For Duke fans, tracking the Marlins box score has become a nightly ritual.

Carter Keeps Hitting in Texas

Don't sleep on Evan Carter in Arlington. The Rangers center fielder had his own solid week, going deep Saturday against the Rays while also picking up a hit and a run scored in that game. He added hits in both the Friday and Wednesday contests as well, knocking in a run on Tuesday against the Athletics and contributing a run scored on Wednesday. Carter's average sits at .196 after Saturday's action — a number that doesn't fully capture how active he's been at the plate during this stretch.

Three Duke alumni logging meaningful September reps in the majors is a testament to the program's pipeline, even if Blue Devil fans' attention this week rightly centers on the Marlins dugout, where a pair of Durham products are doing their best to make September meaningful in Miami.