California Cool: Dean Curley Making A Name For Himself On Rocky Top

Entering his sophomore season on Rocky Top, La Verne, Ca. native Dean Curley has already established himself as a leader on a Vol baseball squad that looks to repeat as NCAA National Champions.

The Tennessee baseball team enjoyed unprecedented success in 2024 winning its first ever National championship while notching 60 wins, the most ever in program history and Dean Curley was a big reason why, posting two hits in each game of the CWS finals against #3 Texas A&M. His .935 fielding percentage and .285 batting average during the regular season solidified him as a starter early on in his Tennessee career.

Curley, a freshman in 2024, became the fifth UT player in the Vitello era to be named to the SEC All-Freshman team and has been selected as first team All-SEC for the 2025 campaign by Baseball America.

Curley, who originally signed with the University of Southern California, didn’t waste any time making Rocky Top home.

“I committed to Southern California my freshman year of high school and I stayed committed until my junior year, then the whole coaching staff got fired. So, I opened my recruitment. As a player in high school, I enjoyed watching players like Drew Gilbert and Jordan Beck and to see what they did, it just looked so fun. Then I got a chance to talk to them, then when I came out here, everything totally clicked, it really felt like home. It was just meant to be”

As an East Tennessee country boy who also lived in New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida before the age of 21, I have experienced my share of culture shock, but Dean says he’s experienced no such thing since moving to Tennessee to play for the Vols. “Life is slower, there’s no rush like in California, and I like that.” Dean is not only enjoying life in Tennessee, but he is loving the fan support by Vol Nation. “Tennessee fans are passionate, and they travel. They travel to tournaments, and they certainly traveled to Omaha.”

Curley also notices the fans at home as well. “It’s cool, most of the fans sit in the same spots and it’s a tight park so you hear everything. Hearing the support is awesome, we notice the fans, you can’t miss it.”

Fans attending baseball games this season will notice that Lindsey Nelson stadium is currently undergoing long overdue renovations and upgrades. When complete, LNS will be one of the premier college baseball venues in the country.

Curley not only found a home with the fans he also found a home with his teammates and coaches in 2024. “Everyone was awesome, everyone welcomed me right away. Everyone put their ego aside and was their true self, they were all great teammates, not to mention, some of the best players in the country. Coach Vitello is the same person day in and day out, I really respect him for that. He is the definition of a players-coach, and I don’t know anyone in the country that wouldn’t want to play for him.”

Although 2024 will be a season that Vol players and coaches will always look back on with tremendous pride, Curley is eager to continue to establish himself as a leader on the 2025 squad. “This year I want to be a good teammate and as an established player coming back, I want to help the younger guys. Being a good teammate and a leader is contagious, so I want to step into a leadership role for sure.”

There are a lot of questions to be answered by the time the conference season begins as the Vols look to replace such stars as Christian Moore, Billy Amick, Kirby Connell, Drew Beam, Zander Sechrist and more but the shortstop position seems to be in capable hands in Dean Curley. Curley, a leader by example with his incredible work ethic, attention to detail, baseball IQ and physical skills are all traits that are appreciated by Coach Vitello and the Vol baseball staff.

The goal for the team is another National Championship and if Dean Curley continues to lead as a sophomore the way he did as a freshman, the Vols might just find themselves back in Omaha again in 2025.