Virginia Commonwealth transfer Brian Curley said the reasons he’s in Athens getting ready for Friday’s season-opener and not embarking on a professional career with the Pittsburgh Pirates is simple.
“The biggest thing about my decision to come to Georgia was for player development,” said Curley, a 16th-round draft pick last July.
“I mean, if you look at track record where our guys are from fall to the spring, I don’t think you’re going to see better development and better progress of pitchers anywhere in the country,” he said. “That was my primary focus. I’ve always been a guy who’s directed at getting better. I like that. I play baseball. One piece, I’m good at it. I like beating people. I like competing, right? The other side is I like competing against myself and trying to maximize my potential. That was the driving factor to come to Georgia.”
On a team with many key portal additions, Curley could potentially be one of the biggest.
Especially on the mound.
The 5-foot-10, 212-pound pitcher comes to Georgia following a stellar season at Virginia Commonwealth that saw him go 6-0 with a 2.87 ERA. In 78 innings, Curley struck out 78 batters with 35 walks, saving three games in 19 appearances.
Last week, Curley was tabbed along with teammate Tre Phelps to the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association to its preseason All-American team.
D1Baseball.com ranks Curley as its fourth-best reliever in all of college baseball.
Curley can get hitters out in several ways with a fastball that reaches 98 mph, a power slider, and a changeup.
“I don't know how I feel about me being emotional, where my emotions are on my sleeve, but I think I do a good job isolating competition,” Curley said. “When I'm in competition, it's different than how I am everywhere else. It's like it's my job. Baseball, I view it as a job. That's my 9 to 5. I know exactly what I need to do.”
Like many pitchers on Wes Johnson’s staff, Curley will have the opportunity to play different roles.
Although he’s had success on the back end, that won’t be the only time you’ll see him in a game.
“Brian's going to do a lot of different things,” Johnson said. “He'll start at some point; I'm sure could close. I mean, you'll see him in a lot of different roles.”
Curley said that suits him just fine.
I'd like the opportunity to start this year. I think I might get my fair share of that opportunity. I came here because, well, Wes “was like, ‘Hey, we've got 70 guys who are going to be able to start.’ I was like, let’s go get it. That's not guaranteed, but that doesn't bother me one bit,” Curley said. “I'd like to start. I like throwing out of the pen. I like closing. I think just having the opportunity to do those different things helps you grow as a player a lot.”
Curley said Johnson has helped him become a more focused pitcher.
No more thinking big picture. With Curley, it’s all about the next hitter and the next pitch.
“I try and isolate that execution. That's my primary focus. I don't know the guy in the box. It's me versus me. If we're trying to execute a fastball up in the zone, that's my sole focus,” Curley said. “You can't let emotions come into play with that. I think that's the biggest piece of my mindset that has helped me get to where I'm at.”
Curley also credits Johnson with helping to fine-tune his mechanics.
“The biggest thing between me and Wes is mechanics and then learning how to pitch, just learning how to throw pitches, where to throw them, and why. That's Wes's biggest selling point for the Georgia program. We want you to ask why,” Curley said. “That gave me a lot of trust. People who are willing to be questioned in a respectful manner. People who are open to questions, I think those are people that you have the most opportunity to learn from.”
