He’s embracing his personal devils.
Poly Prep pitcher Oliver McCarthy walked onto the campus at Duke University last year and knew, almost immediately, that he was home. It took a few months to make it official, but now McCarthy has made sure he’ll be a Blue Devil for life. The junior verbally committed to Duke last week, cementing a home for himself on the North Carolina campus.
McCarthy hasn’t stopped smiling for days.
“[Duke] was actually one of the only visits I went on, and I was blown away,” McCarthy said. “We went to the Cameron Crazies night, we saw the classrooms, the architecture and it was all incredible. I loved everything Duke could offer me academically and athletically.”
McCarthy also visited Stanford — where teammate Daniel Bakst will head next season — but couldn’t ignore the pull he felt toward Duke.
“Stanford is a great program, absolutely,” he said. “But, in the end, I felt more at home and more of a connection with Duke.”
McCarthy is fresh off a dominant season on the mound for Poly Prep this spring. He posted an 8–1 record on the mound, including a shutout win over Fieldston in the semifinals of the New York State Association of Independent Schools playoffs. He also racked up 61 strikeouts in 53 innings with a 1.58 earned run average.
McCarthy has two more seasons of high-school ball in front of him, but he’s already anxious to prove himself against some of the best college competition in the country. In fact, it’s something he’s been dreaming of since he first started playing baseball.
“Playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference has been a goal of mine for a long time,” McCarthy said. “The team I’m playing on this summer — Team Elite — a lot of the guys are playing on ACC schools. We’ve all become close friends and it’s going to be awesome competing against some of the best players in the country after playing with them this summer.”
McCarthy’s decision to commit even before starting his junior season may strike some as odd, but the southpaw doesn’t have any regrets. In fact, making the decision helped McCarthy breathe a bit easier.
“My family has a huge emphasis on academics and I think this decision will help a lot with my junior year,” he said. “It’s just more motivation to work hard in the classroom and on the field. It takes a lot of the weight off my shoulders.”
McCarthy knows he has to wait before he can officially call himself a Blue Devil — at least of the Duke variety — but he’s more than willing to do just that.
After all, he’s got a jam-packed schedule ahead of him.
McCarthy will play at the Perfect Game World Series later this month and has been tossing bullpen sessions at Poly Prep whenever he has a few days at home.
It’s all part of McCarthy’s plan — to get better. His college decision is set, but McCarthy isn’t willing to rest on his verbal-commitment laurels. He’s got two years before heading to Duke, and he’s going to use every moment to make sure he’s ready.
“I’m just looking to get the leg work in and getting ready to compete before heading into the school year,” McCarthy said. “I couldn’t be more excited.”