LSU Baseball
By Hunt Palmer
Derek Curiel is open to a return to LSU.
As unlikely as that return might be for the projected first-round, it’s not a done deal.
“I definitely don’t have all my eggs in one basket yet,” Curiel told Matt Moscona on After Further Review. “I’ve definitely talked to Coach (Jay) Johnson. I obviously want to be a Tiger. I told him, if there’s a coach I could play for forever, it would be him. It definitely sucks. I’ll be the youngest guy in the draft this year college-wise. I miss (the age cut off) by like a month. So, it’s definitely a tough decision to make.”
Curiel posted an excellent sophomore season. He improved his batting average by eight points after a stellar freshman season. His slugging percentage also bumped, and he stole 10 more bases.
When he started 14-for-48, just .292, it raised some eyebrows. Curiel was a .354 hitter as a freshman and was posting lesser numbers against Milwaukee, McNeese, Dartmouth and other non-conference foes.
He was hurt.
“People don’t know that I broke my ankle in November,” Curiel said. “I know that rumor was out there, but it was definitely true. I had three weeks to prepare for the season. It was my back foot, and it was kind of hard for me to load into my back leg. Obviously, I’m a leg lift guy.”
As the injury healed, he got back to his old self, lining balls the other way and driving in runs.
“People were saying that I was pressing and trying to hit home runs,” Curiel said. “Like, that’s not me. I’m never trying to hit a home run. I’m trying to hit a back side single, back side double.”
Injuries riddled the Tiger team. Chris Stanfield broke his hand. Cooper Moore suffered a weight room injury. Steven Milam played banged up. Jake Brown broke his hand. John Pearson strained a hamstring, and Casan Evans missed two starts.
“Everyone on our team got injured at some point, and it was it was just very unfortunate,” Curiel said. “I hurt my ankle mid-November. I can’t say how I did it, but it was not a good reason. But that happened, and that’s why the season started how it did. I feel like I showed some toughness progressing through that and not giving up.”
And it sounds like he’s not giving up on a return. A seven-figure signing bonus suggests otherwise and loyalty to a baseball program has a way of prying a few extra dollars from professional organizations every summer.
“Coming back to LSU to compete for another national championship means the world to me,” Curiel said. “I’m excited for whatever lies ahead, and it’s all in God’s hand in my opinion. I’m open to whatever.”
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