University of Massachusets Athletics
Curreri holds his own in Cape League All-Star Game
July 26, 2004 | Baseball
July 26, 2004
ORLEANS, Mass. - University of Massachusetts catcher Frank Curreri (Weymouth, Mass.) knocked a two-run homerun in the first inning of Saturday's Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star game helping the East Division All-Stars cruise to a 13-0 victory over their West counterparts at Eldridge Park.
Curreri, who was one of five East Division All-Stars who homered in the contest along with Jordan Brown (Arizona), Ryan Patterson (Louisiana State), Jon Aughey (The Citadel) and Michael Campbell (South Carolina), was named the team's MVP of the evening.
Georgia Tech's Tyler Greene drew a walk to begin the bottom of the first, and Aughey promptly doubled him home for the first run of the game.
That brought Curreri to the plate, and one pitch after watching his bat sail into the crowd after a hard swing, he ripped a belt-high changeup over the fence in left-center field.
Brown, a first baseman from host Orleans, followed two batters later with a blast almost exactly where Curreri's fell.
The East Division didn't slow down in the second inning, as Brewster's Patterson hit a solo shot and Aughey followed a single by Chatham's Chris Getz (Michigan) with a home run of his own to left-center.
"The other guys were joking about it, giving each other a hard time, (saying) 'Oh, this one went further than that one,'" Curreri said. "But it doesn't matter - they all went out. Guys throw the ball hard, but if you throw out your hands and make good contact, it's going to go out. Especially with the short porch out there (in left field) - I like that."
From there, the East's pitching staff took over. Chris Nicoll (UC-Irvine), Dan Brauer (Northwestern), Andrew Miller (North Carolina), Justin Blaine (San Diego) and Craig Hansen (St. John's) each tossed 1-2-3 innings in relief of winning pitcher Ryan Mullins (Vanderbilt), and the West Division didn't manage a hit until the sixth inning.
Despite the lopsided score, the East Division stars couldn't help but be impressed with the arms on the other side.
Falmouth's Dallas Buck (Oregon State) pitched well enough, in fact, to earn the West Division's Most Valuable Player award for his inning of work.
"You've got guys throwing 99 miles per hour," Curreri said. "One guy threw a ball I didn't even see. It's like, 'What is going on?' Everyone here was outstanding."
In the end, though, it was Curreri's night. The Weymouth, Mass., native earned the East Division's Most Valuable Player award, as voted by the 70 scouts in attendance, but the presence of nearly 30 friends and family members made the evening as special as it was.
"They made the trip up for the special occasion, so I'm glad I was able to do something to give them a special treat for being here," he said.
This past June, Curreri was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 41st round of the 2004 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The Diamondbacks took Curreri with the 1,226 pick overall.
Curreri, a second-team All-Atlantic 10 and first-team All-New England selection this year, reached base in 41 of UMass' 45 games during the 2004 season, including each of the last 26 consecutive contests. The lefthanded hitter started every UMass contest and finished the year with a team-leading .380 batting average, 54 RBI, a .464 on-base percentage and a .614 slugging percentage. Curreri, a sophomore, also tied for the team lead with seven home runs, and led the squad with 23 extra-base hits including 16 doubles. His RBI total ranks as the fifth-highest single-season figure in school history, as do his 16 doubles. Curreri also participated in the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-Star Game on May 30 at Fenway Park.
For his collegiate career, Curreri has a .363 batting average including 98 hits in just 82 games. He has totaled 36 extra-base hits thus far including 24 doubles and 10 home runs. Curreri has also totaled 81 RBI and 39 walks while striking out just 32 times in 270 at bats. He has also stolen eight bases.
Special thanks to the Cape Cod Baseball League website for contributing to this story.