LSU’s Derek Curiel proves to be a hit in SEC

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – All-time hits king Pete Rose had been suspended for almost two decades before Rick and Linda Curiel welcomed Derek Curiel into the world in West Covina, Calif. Yet, Charlie Hustle’s game was a constant in the LSU freshman phenom’s life. 

Rick Curiel, who joined the police force after a stellar high school baseball career that included a state title, loved watching Rose as a kid. He built a batting cage in his backyard and handed his sons Donovyn and Derek bats as soon as they were able to swing them.

Then Derek Curiel swung away, over and over, following his older brother and father’s example. When they weren’t playing baseball or practicing, they could be found watching YouTube videos of Rose’s legendary career.

They loved the hustle. Derek Curiel breaks into a proud, somewhat wicked smile when he recalls how Rose barreled over Ray Fosse at the 1970 All-Star Game in Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium.

Charlie Hustle fan

“We watched YouTube videos at home,” Derek Curiel said. “My dad would tell me stories of when he was in the game, him trucking the catcher, him trucking the third baseman just always playing hard, always sliding. Him being a manager. I just loved the way he played the game.”

Rose was Rick Curiel’s favorite player growing up. Hall of Famer Derek Jeter was Derek Curiel’s favorite player as a child. There’s a debate whether the younger Curiel was named after the Yankees’ legendary shortstop. Derek Curiel says his mother told him he was not named after the Yankees’ icon.

Yet, his dad has told him he was. Whatever the case, Derek Curiel is making a name for himself in the Southeastern Conference. He’s one of the best pure hitters in college baseball. As a freshman! 

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Derek Curiel has made it look easy at LSU. It’s difficult to imagine there has been a better freshman in NCAA baseball this season. 

“He was what I would call a wheelhouse player for me,” LSU coach Jay Johnson says. “He does so many things well. It’s more than just tools. He has a great feel for the game and he has a great competitive nature. There’s a lot there to work with.

“He was brought up and raised incredibly well, incredible parents. He kind of built his life around baseball. He’s emotionally mature, and he really knows what he’s doing between the white lines.”

43-game on-base streak

Derek Curiel got on base safely in the first 43 games of his college career. That streak was snapped on April 26, when he posted a rare 0-for-4 against Tennessee. The next day he was 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, five RBIs and a walk against the defending national champions and No. 15 team in the country. 

“He got on base five straight times,” Johnson says. “I think that showed who he is. He hadn’t had a whole lot of adversity, but the first one he had he handled it as beautifully as you could.”

For as long as he can remember, Derek Curiel has been swinging a bat. His father Rick Curiel won a state baseball title in California. Donovyn Curiel also starred in high school before playing college and independent league baseball. 

By the time Derek Curiel was 13 years old, he was considered one of the best baseball players his age in America. He was a two-time member of Team USA’s 18U national team.

Passing up MLB Draft

At 6-foot-2, 182 pounds with a beautiful left-handed swing, Curiel was considered a top prospect heading into last July’s MLB Draft. He withdrew from draft consideration last June, cementing his plans to attend LSU. 

Curiel followed the example Dylan Crews set in 2020 before enrolling at LSU and helping the Tigers win the 2023 College World Series. Crews was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, inspiring Curiel to follow his path.

“I just felt it in my heart that I needed to come here,” Curiel said of LSU. “Obviously Dylan Crews kind of set the path here. He turned down the draft out of high school. He ended up coming here and making a name for himself and ended up boosting his draft stock in the process. And he also got to win a national championship.”

With Curiel as a key part of the offense, LSU is a national championship contender again. The Tigers are ranked No. 3 in the country. Curiel is hitting .361 with a .482 on-base percentage and .583 slugging percentage. He has six home runs, 42 RBIs, 39 walks and 51 runs scored.

Entering last weekend’s series against Texas A&M, he led the SEC in on-base percentage and was No. 2 in batting average. He’s now fifth in on-base percentage and tied for seventh in the SEC in batting average. 

Handling pressure

Curiel doesn’t look like a freshman at the plate. He has not been overwhelmed by the expectations that come with being picked as the preseason SEC Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball.com. Derek Curiel has lived up to the No. 1 ranking on Perfect Game’s Top 75 Freshmen list.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t say I put any pressure on myself,” he says. “I’ve been training my whole life to be a baseball player, collegiate and hopefully professional one day. My family and I have worked very hard.

“I just feel like this is the reward now that I get to play for a university like this and be able to play on this stage and do what I do. I’m just so thankful. Every time I go out on the field I give thanks to God and thanks to my family and I try to perform as best as possible.”

Johnson had recruited Curiel since Derek was in seventh grade. Even if it would have been unfair to expect Curiel to play so well this early, neither Curiel nor Johnson are surprised.

“I don’t think he could play any better, to be honest with you, to this point in time,” Johnson says of Curiel. “He’s got great baseball skill. But to me the emotional and mental stability has been the separator for him to be able to take that skill and really go into the toughest environment you can in front of the SEC and perform the way he has. There’s nobody playing better baseball in their first year of college baseball than Derek.”

Charlie Hustle would have been proud.