Derek Curiel hasn’t played in a college game yet, but he’s garnering attention.
The West Covina, Calif., native was named Preseason SEC Freshman of the Year by D1 Baseball on Thursday.
Curiel has been a highly-touted player since his early high school days. Perfect Game called him the No. 10 overall high school player in the country and No. 2 player in California as a senior.
Major league scouts have evaluated Curiel for years, but the left-hand hitting outfielder elected to pull his name out of the 2024 MLB Draft to attend college.
Curiel and LSU began official preseason practice on Friday, January 24. LSU opens the season on Friday February 14 against Purdue Fort Wayne.
