Virginia Tech Baseball: Mathieu Curtis Drafted to the Atlanta Braves at Pick No. 427

The 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher was selected by the Atlanta Braves in Round 14 as the 427th overall pick. Curtis is a reliable starting arm who can touch over 90 mph with his fastball and also plays sharp defense, posting a perfect fielding percentage for the Hokies last season. That combination of size, velocity and defensive awareness gives him a well-rounded profile that should translate effectively into professional ball.

The Fort Mill, SC native began his collegiate career with USC Upstate Spartans. As a Spartan, Curtis made 32 total appearances across his two seasons played, starting in 28 contests. The righty faced 320 batters during his debut season with the Spartans and sported a 50-to-34 strike-to-ball ratio. Curtis' strong freshman performance earned him a spot on the Big South's All-Freshman Team in 2023.

After spending two seasons with the Spartans, Curtis made the move to Blacksburg, joining the Hokies’ pitching staff ahead of his junior year. While the tall right-hander served primarily as a starter during his time at USC Upstate, he transitioned into a bullpen role for Virginia Tech, embracing the shift to help bolster the Hokies’ relief corps.

As a Hokie, Curtis made 18 quality appearances out of the bullpen, allowing 46 hits and only 23 earned runs. Curtis was a reliable bullpen arm for head coach John Szefc, coming in for 26 appearances and 38.2 innings of work. The righty ended the spring season with a 5.35 ERA, a career best. Curtis' longest appearance for the Hokies was on April 15; during Tech's battle with ETSU Curtis came in to relieve Josh Berzonski in the fifth inning and went the distance, allowing just three hits and two runs over 4.2 innings.

Curtis has one more year of eligibility if he decides to return to Blacksburg for his senior season.

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