Get To Know: Pitcher Brian Curley
January 20, 2025 | Baseball
By Kyle Tatelbaum
Georgia Sports Communications
After coming within one victory of advancing to the College World Series in 2024, Georgia's baseball team bolstered its 2025 roster with talented newcomers including right-handed pitcher Brian Curley. The Bulldogs are aiming to be one of the top teams in the nation and have their eyes set on Omaha.
Curley enters his third season after appearing in 30 games over two years at VCU. The 5-foot-10, 210-pounder went 6-0 and held the lowest ERA (2.87) among eligible pitchers through 78.1 innings, the second-most on the team.
The Midlothian, Va., native brings a powerful and deceptive arm to a revitalized pitching staff under Wes Johnson, Georgia's second-year Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach, and is looking to build off an extremely effective sophomore season.
With opening day (Feb. 14) less than a month away, let's get to know Curley a little better:
Tatelbaum: You were drafted in the 16th round last year, so what drew you back to college baseball?
Curley: The biggest thing that drew me back to college was the development at Georgia. I mean, Wes (Johnson) is unmatched in, one, his knowledge of the game, and two, his ability to explain it to players. The biggest thing that I was looking for with the draft was what's an option that's going to make me a major league pitcher as soon as possible? I think that regardless of organization or college that I went to, Georgia was the best option for me to become the best pitcher that I'm ever going to be.
Tatelbaum: What adjustments did you make to have so much success in your second year at VCU?
Curley: Well, honestly, the biggest thing for me was coming back from Tommy John surgery my freshman year. My first outing, I was 12 months out of Tommy John. So, I kind of just used the time over the summer and through that season to just improve. I worked on bullpens, I worked on throwing the third pitch, command and just mentality.
Tatelbaum: What did you Tommy John recovery process teach you about yourself as a person and a pitcher?
Curley: I kind of looked at it as just a way to build up, to be honest. After the initial shock that I had to get it, I was like, all right, this is an opportunity for me to get better in every facet of the game, especially mechanics. So through that time, I had a phenomenal support system. The guy who told me I should probably get an MRI was a sports physical therapist that did a lot of strength conditioning for baseball, and I did my actual physical therapy with his wife, who is also a sports physical therapist at VCU. Both of them helped me grow my relationship with God.
Tatelbaum: Do you feel stronger coming back from TJ?
Curley: Yeah, it's not even close. The pitcher I am right now compared to the pitcher I was before, I mean, I'm just more polished, and I've learned so much about just playing the game through it, too, and a lot of that's just being around college baseball for a long time.
Tatelbaum: You recorded a three-out save in the Winston-Salem Regional last year. What's it like pitching in a postseason environment?
Curley: It was great. It was cool. I've never been in a position where I had to play in that competitive environment. As far as the mental game goes, it's just about treating it like any other pitch. For that end, like, for that specifically, going through adversity, getting put in a hard spot, I just stick to my routine. When I'm on the mound, I don't really feel that pressure.
Tatelbaum: If you could change one thing about your baseball career thus far, would you?
Curley: I don't know if I would change too much. I've worked hard my whole life. I was an undersized kid in high school, which made it difficult to get looks. I think the route I took through VCU was the best way to do that for me to be able to actually present my skill set on a stage that's going to be seen by, like, people who actually care. When I was able to make that distinction of what kind of player I am, regardless of external factors, I think that's pretty cool.
Georgia Sports Communications
After coming within one victory of advancing to the College World Series in 2024, Georgia's baseball team bolstered its 2025 roster with talented newcomers including right-handed pitcher Brian Curley. The Bulldogs are aiming to be one of the top teams in the nation and have their eyes set on Omaha.
Curley enters his third season after appearing in 30 games over two years at VCU. The 5-foot-10, 210-pounder went 6-0 and held the lowest ERA (2.87) among eligible pitchers through 78.1 innings, the second-most on the team.
The Midlothian, Va., native brings a powerful and deceptive arm to a revitalized pitching staff under Wes Johnson, Georgia's second-year Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach, and is looking to build off an extremely effective sophomore season.
With opening day (Feb. 14) less than a month away, let's get to know Curley a little better:
Tatelbaum: You were drafted in the 16th round last year, so what drew you back to college baseball?
Curley: The biggest thing that drew me back to college was the development at Georgia. I mean, Wes (Johnson) is unmatched in, one, his knowledge of the game, and two, his ability to explain it to players. The biggest thing that I was looking for with the draft was what's an option that's going to make me a major league pitcher as soon as possible? I think that regardless of organization or college that I went to, Georgia was the best option for me to become the best pitcher that I'm ever going to be.
Tatelbaum: What adjustments did you make to have so much success in your second year at VCU?
Curley: Well, honestly, the biggest thing for me was coming back from Tommy John surgery my freshman year. My first outing, I was 12 months out of Tommy John. So, I kind of just used the time over the summer and through that season to just improve. I worked on bullpens, I worked on throwing the third pitch, command and just mentality.
Tatelbaum: What did you Tommy John recovery process teach you about yourself as a person and a pitcher?
Curley: I kind of looked at it as just a way to build up, to be honest. After the initial shock that I had to get it, I was like, all right, this is an opportunity for me to get better in every facet of the game, especially mechanics. So through that time, I had a phenomenal support system. The guy who told me I should probably get an MRI was a sports physical therapist that did a lot of strength conditioning for baseball, and I did my actual physical therapy with his wife, who is also a sports physical therapist at VCU. Both of them helped me grow my relationship with God.
Tatelbaum: Do you feel stronger coming back from TJ?
Curley: Yeah, it's not even close. The pitcher I am right now compared to the pitcher I was before, I mean, I'm just more polished, and I've learned so much about just playing the game through it, too, and a lot of that's just being around college baseball for a long time.
Tatelbaum: You recorded a three-out save in the Winston-Salem Regional last year. What's it like pitching in a postseason environment?
Curley: It was great. It was cool. I've never been in a position where I had to play in that competitive environment. As far as the mental game goes, it's just about treating it like any other pitch. For that end, like, for that specifically, going through adversity, getting put in a hard spot, I just stick to my routine. When I'm on the mound, I don't really feel that pressure.
Tatelbaum: If you could change one thing about your baseball career thus far, would you?
Curley: I don't know if I would change too much. I've worked hard my whole life. I was an undersized kid in high school, which made it difficult to get looks. I think the route I took through VCU was the best way to do that for me to be able to actually present my skill set on a stage that's going to be seen by, like, people who actually care. When I was able to make that distinction of what kind of player I am, regardless of external factors, I think that's pretty cool.
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