Spa Catholic's Carson Moser discusses flip from VCU to Duke

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Saratoga Central Catholic's Carson Moser was already on a path rarely seen in Section 2 when he was committed to go Division I to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) before even throwing a pitch in his junior season. But his college plans changed earlier this month, and his future destination is now even more impressive.

Moser announced on July 12 his decision to instead commit to Duke University out of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

As a converted first baseman, the rising Spa Catholic senior has only logged 13 innings on the mound for the Saints over his three varsity seasons. But his intangibles are undeniable. Standing at 6'7", Moser's fastball has been clocked in the low-to-mid 90's.

His flip from VCU to Duke was heavily influenced by the Blue Devils' hiring of head coach Corey Muscara - D1 Baseball's Assistant Coach of the Year for Wake Forest University in 2023, who also spent three seasons at Siena.

Then, there's simply the draw of the Duke brand.

"It's one of the best program's in the country," said Moser. "They made it to a super regional last year. They have the best coach right now in the country [for] developing pitchers. If you want to become good, you wanna go there."

Moser missed much of last season with an injury, but returned just in time to help guide Spa Catholic to a Class C state championship. He's the first Saint to go to a power five program, and an ideal figure to represent Spa Catholic on a national level.

"Carson was out for an extended period of time with his injury," said Saratoga Central Catholic head coach Alphonse Lambert. "His leadership on our team was incredible. He was the biggest cheerleader on the team. And when he got his opportunity to pitch in that regional [championship] and state semifinal game, I said to my assistants, "This kid's got it." He knows what it means to be a teammate, and he knows what it means to be an individual player. He has really blended the two together. And when you throw in the mid-90's, you're [6'7"] and have all those intangibles - especially being coachable - the sky's the limit."

Moser hopes he's blazing a trail for fellow Saints to follow in his footsteps.

"Our team has so much talent here at Spa Catholic," said Moser. "There's gonna be multiple kids who are gonna be going to bigger programs the next couple years. The school's finally getting out there...especially nationwide. You talk to these coaches; they know about our school now, and it's pretty cool."