By Hunt Palmer
Derek Curiel was hooked to multiple IVs on Friday.
The star sophomore endured a bout with food poisoning and needed to replenish fluids to play in Friday night’s game.
“I got two IVs, and then I drank a ton of Pedialyte, water and Gatorade,” Curiel said. “I was just trying to put as many fluids in my body as I could.”
When head coach Jay Johnson filled out the lineup card, he decided to put Curiel in the designated hitter spot to give him the night off in centerfield. Jake Brown moved from right field over to center. Mason Braun manned right field.
Curiel focused on regaining his strength and swinging the bat. His team needed that.
The Tigers trailed 2-1 in the sixth inning when Curiel dug in with runners on the corners and one out. The count ran to 2-2, and Curiel got a pitch away. As he’s done countless times through two seasons, he laced double down the line in left field to plate the pair of runs and give the Tigers a lead they never relinquished.
DC6 Clearing The Bases 🧹
Dartmouth – 2
LSU – 3 pic.twitter.com/IsFGP5fllP— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) February 28, 2026
“We need him to be good,” Johnson said. “You can’t win unless your best guys are your best guys, and he was one of our best guys tonight.”
Curiel said postgame he expected to get some rest Friday night to be back out on the field Saturday afternoon defensively. LSU plays Northeastern at 2:00.
Johnson’s confidence in that was evident on Friday night thanks to a medical staff he trusts implicitly.
“Isaac Trajillo, he’s best trainer in the world,” he said. “Thank God for him.”
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