LSU freshman Derek Curiel. (Photo courtesy of X/@TigerDroppings)
As a highly touted prospect joining an LSU baseball program that perennially aims for national championships, Derek Curiel surely expected to be in high-pressure games in the postseason. And he’s proving the moments aren’t too big for him.
In his Men’s College World Series debut Saturday, he came up to bat in the second inning against Arkansas and promptly looked at two strikes. But he calmly watched the next four pitches miss the zone, taking a walk. That helped spark a three-run rally that proved to be the difference in the game. Later in the eighth inning, Curiel again fell behind 0-2 in the count, but then put a single into the opposite field to drive in another run for a 4-1 Tigers victory.
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That the freshman would come up clutch was hardly a surprise. The hit marked his 11th of the NCAA Tournament, during which he’s hitting .458 (11 for 24). On the season, Curiel is leading his team with a .349 batting average, 84 hits and 19 doubles. He’s started all 64 games in either left or center field for the Tigers (49-15), who will face UCLA on Monday night in Omaha.
Tigers head coach Jay Johnson thought Curiel’s first at-bat “might have been one of the most under-noticed, most important at-bats in the game,” and his two-out single in the eighth was another “great at-bat.”
“But I’m not surprised,” Johnson said in the postgame press conference. “He was born to hit. His disposition, his demeanor is made for hitting with runners on base, made for playing in games like the College World Series. He’ll probably play in the major league World Series someday because he’s got that ‘it factor’ character.”
Standing on first base after the hit, Curiel pointed to the sky, as he often does. He was recently asked what he’s thinking about when he points up like that.
“I’m just saying, ‘It’s all You. It’s not me, it’s You,” Curiel told Access the Walk, referring to God. “I just want people to know that when I get a hit and the camera’s on me, it’s God. It’s not me. … It’s always God first, and then if I want to celebrate after and do something, then I can, but obviously humbly.”
Curiel has more than met the expectations placed upon him coming out of Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California. And the expectations were high considering Perfect Game named Curiel the No. 1 college baseball freshman entering the 2025 season. Last week, Curiel and teammate Casan Evans were named first-team freshman All-Americans.
But for Curiel, he keeps God first. In his Instagram bio, he writes, “Jesus Christ is King. For God. For my Family. For the Love of the Game.” He says he’s even talking to God during his games.
“In my walk with Christ and me playing baseball, I pray continually in the outfield, honestly. Literally when I’m in the outfield, I’m talking to God the whole entire time,” he told Access the Walk. “I think that’s what keeps me going. I love the game of baseball because you fail so much that you can’t get caught up in that failure, and you have to move on. You just have to be where you are and trust in Him and go out there and have fun and play with confidence. I always say that my confidence comes from the Lord. It’s not cockiness, it’s just I already know where I’m going after I die, so I should just live my life to glorify Him and be selfless.”
Curiel’s next chance to glorify Him on the field comes Monday at 7 p.m. ET. The No. 6-seeded Tigers face No. 15 UCLA, which won its first MCWS matchup Saturday against Murray State. The LSU-UCLA winner would then be one win away from the MCWS Finals, which begin Saturday.
LSU already owns seven national titles, the last coming in 2023. Only USC (12) boasts more.
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