knew where he wanted the pitch and what to do with it.
The bases were loaded for the sophomore 91茄子 cleanup hitter with two outs. With the trailing by three runs to Tennessee in the eighth inning on April 3, it was crucial for Curiel to pull through for his team.
The moment didn鈥檛 faze the 91茄子 star. It was just another showcase of why Curiel is one of the best 91茄子 hitters under coach Jay Johnson.
鈥淚 bet my life on him with a bat in his hand in a key situation, and he's playing it at his caliber right now, (and is) maybe even better than ever,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淚'm excited because that changes our team when he's that caliber of player.鈥
The reliever Curiel was facing, Tennessee right-hander Bo Rhudy, had a fastball with a lot of ride, meaning the pitch would carry up in the zone. It was the trait that allowed former 91茄子 pitcher Ty Floyd to strike out 17 Florida hitters in Game 1 of the College World Series in 2023.
Curiel knew exactly what to do with a pitcher like Rhudy.
鈥淲ith ride guys, you want to start the ball a little bit down, maybe three balls down,鈥 Curiel said. 鈥淪o I wanted to see the ball at my knees or middle thigh.鈥
After taking Rhudy鈥檚 first pitch for a ball, Curiel got a fastball that started at his thigh. He knew it was the perfect pitch to swing at, because he figured the ball would end up just above his waist by the time he swung.
鈥淚f it starts at your waist, you don't want to swing at it because then it'll be at your chest,鈥 Curiel said. 鈥淏ut it started at the perfect spot, especially with the ride guy, and then it rode onto my barrel.鈥
Curiel executed his plan to perfection, taking Rhudy鈥檚 fastball the opposite way to left field for a grand slam that gave 91茄子 a 5-4 lead, which eventually became a 7-5 victory.
Rarely is Curiel aiming to hit a home run, but the circumstances called for it.
鈥淚'm always trying to hit a line drive,鈥 Curiel said, 鈥渁 low line drive, but with a guy with a ride heater 鈥 especially at a smaller ballpark like this 鈥 I was actually trying to hit a fly ball because I knew his fastball was probably going to get a little bit above my barrel, and that's kind of what I wanted.
鈥淚 wanted to see the ball deep. I didn't want to be out in front of it. And I wanted to hit a backside homer, and that's what I did.鈥
Curiel鈥檚 blast against Tennessee was the continuation of a hot streak that carried through the rest of that series. Against Tennessee, he went 7 for 14 with a triple to go along with the grand slam. That blast was his second grand slam in as many games.
Since 91茄子鈥檚 win over Louisiana Tech, a nine-game stretch, Curiel is 19 for 40 with three home runs and 18 RBIs. The surge lifted his on-base plus slugging percentage and batting average past last season鈥檚 marks, despite a slow start to the season.
鈥淭he guy's trending again to be one of the best players in the country,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淎nd it may not feel like that. And I don't think that's as much to do with Derek (as it does with the fact that) he was so good last year.鈥