The Rundown: LSU Baseball's Derek Curiel Reeling in Multiple Postseason Honors

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers are fresh off of a National Championship victory in 2025 after taking down the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in Omaha.

The program saw true freshman Derek Curiel elevate his game during postseason play after shining for the purple and gold on his way to earning a ring.

Now, he's reeling in the postseason honors with D1 Baseball recognizing the rising star in Baton Rouge.

National Freshman of the Year Honor: D1 Baseball Honors Curiel

Curiel, also a Second-Team All-America, First-Team Freshman All-America and Second-Team All-SEC selection this season, hit a team-high .345 with 20 doubles, two triples, seven homers, 55 RBI and 67 runs, as he helped lead LSU to the NCAA College World Series National Championship.

The product of West Covina, Calif., was named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team after collecting six hits, three RBI and three runs in the CWS.

Curiel hit a team-high .571 in the Tigers’ NCAA Super Regional sweep of West Virginia with one double, one homer, five RBI and six runs.

He was voted to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament Team, batting .400 (6-for-15) with two doubles, two RBI and four runs.

Curiel finished the season No. 1 in the SEC in doubles (20), No. 3 in the league in walks (53), No. 4 in hits (89), No. 4 in on-base percentage (.470), No. 6 in runs scored (67) and No. 10 in batting average (.345).

DC6 is your @D1Baseball Freshman of the Year pic.twitter.com/Axt8nyMDbA
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) July 2, 2025

Kendall Rogers writes of Curiel in a feature story posted to D1Baseball.com:

Curiel didn’t waste much time making his presence known for the Tigers during fall workouts. The way (Jay) Johnson talks about Curiel’s immediate impact in the fall reminds me a lot of the same feeling I got when I saw Dylan Crews for the first time in the fall in Baton Rouge. At first glance, Crews did not look like someone who belonged in college as a whole — the hit tool, the power potential and the maturity from a physical standpoint.

All elite for Crews. Curiel showed a great aura in the fall, and he showed an extremely advanced approach and hit tool. He did not show the same power as Crews in his first fall, but the feeling overall was the same — this guy was born to be a superstar in college baseball, and probably in pro ball as well.

Curiel began his LSU career this season by posting a 43-game reached base safely streak, marking the fifth-longest on record in the annals of LSU Baseball.

First-Team Freshman All-American

Curiel hit a team-high .571 in the Tigers’ NCAA Super Regional sweep of West Virginia with one double, one homer, five RBI and six runs.

Freshman All-American Tigers

Congratulations to @DerekCuriel and @CasanEvans on receiving first-team honors from @d1baseball! pic.twitter.com/nej0CzHvT5
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) July 2, 2025

According to LSU Baseball, Curiel finished the season No. 1 in the SEC in doubles (20), No. 3 in the league in walks (53), No. 4 in hits (89), No. 4 in on-base percentage (.470), No. 6 in runs scored (67) and No. 10 in batting average (.345).