Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Former Blue Raider Curtis promoted to Major Leagues
4/30/2016 4:47:00 PM | Baseball
Joins Arizona Saturday
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Former Blue Raider Zac Curtis was overjoyed after learning he was being promoted following a win with Visalia Rawhide – the Single A advanced affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks – Friday night.
Imagine Curtis' surprise when realizing he was being promoted to the Major Leagues, where he will be in uniform for the Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday night. Curtis, a sixth-round draft selection of the Diamondbacks in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft, is the 14th Middle Tennessee baseball player to reach the Major Leagues.
Curtis initially thought he was headed to Mobile, Ala., to play for the Double A Mobile BayBears but the Diamondbacks had bigger plans in store for the 5-foot-9, 179-pound left-hander, who dominated C-USA hitters while leading the nation in strikeouts on his way to first-team, all-conference honors as a senior in 2014.
"When they told me I was being called up, I was really excited and happy," Curtis said. "Of course, I thought I was going to Mobile, but then they gave me the travel itinerary and they said, 'No, you are going to Phoenix to be with the Diamondbacks.' I just stared at them and got a hot and clammy feeling. (Manager J.R. House) said you are a Major League baseball player. I told them not to joke like this. Some of my teammates were still there and they were in the background cheering. It just didn't seem real. Everyone was coming up and congratulating me. Coach (Jeff) Bajenaru, my pitching coach, was crying and that's when it hit me. I just broke down.
"I am going to enjoy this and this moment and soak it in," Curtis added. "It may be just one day or one inning, but I can say I made it. I am a Major League Baseball player."
Curtis is achieving the rare feat of advancing from A ball to the Big Leagues. He spent 2014 playing for the Hillsboro Hops – Arizona's Single A short season affiliate in the Northwest League. From there, he spent a full season with the Single A Kane County Cougars in the Midwest League in 2015, before playing one month of Advanced A ball for the Visalia Rawhide in 2016.
"I still haven't wrapped my mind around it," Curtis said, referring to his rapid ascent to the Major Leagues. "It is hard for me to comprehend playing one short season, one full season in A ball and then one month into this season of Advanced A ball when this happens. It makes me feel grateful. I am still waiting to be told I am going to Mobile. Words can't describe the gratitude I have for so many people who have helped me."
Middle Tennessee Head Baseball Coach Jim McGuire spoke with Curtis before he flew to Arizona Saturday morning.
"When Zac told me he was going to the Big Leagues I was so happy for him, just all he has been through and where he has come from through middle school to high school to all of his development through junior college and here, I couldn't be more excited for one guy than I am for Zac," McGuire said. "It just shows the toughness and the work ethic and the type of person he is. Now he has a family and he is getting to live his ultimate dream of pitching in the Big Leagues."
Curits was 1-0 with two saves and 22 strikeouts in 10-1/3 innings for Visalia this season. He set the single-season saves record for the Class A Kane County Cougars with 33 last season when he was 4-4 with a 1.33 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 54 innings.
Imagine Curtis' surprise when realizing he was being promoted to the Major Leagues, where he will be in uniform for the Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday night. Curtis, a sixth-round draft selection of the Diamondbacks in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft, is the 14th Middle Tennessee baseball player to reach the Major Leagues.
Curtis initially thought he was headed to Mobile, Ala., to play for the Double A Mobile BayBears but the Diamondbacks had bigger plans in store for the 5-foot-9, 179-pound left-hander, who dominated C-USA hitters while leading the nation in strikeouts on his way to first-team, all-conference honors as a senior in 2014.
"When they told me I was being called up, I was really excited and happy," Curtis said. "Of course, I thought I was going to Mobile, but then they gave me the travel itinerary and they said, 'No, you are going to Phoenix to be with the Diamondbacks.' I just stared at them and got a hot and clammy feeling. (Manager J.R. House) said you are a Major League baseball player. I told them not to joke like this. Some of my teammates were still there and they were in the background cheering. It just didn't seem real. Everyone was coming up and congratulating me. Coach (Jeff) Bajenaru, my pitching coach, was crying and that's when it hit me. I just broke down.
"I am going to enjoy this and this moment and soak it in," Curtis added. "It may be just one day or one inning, but I can say I made it. I am a Major League Baseball player."
Curtis is achieving the rare feat of advancing from A ball to the Big Leagues. He spent 2014 playing for the Hillsboro Hops – Arizona's Single A short season affiliate in the Northwest League. From there, he spent a full season with the Single A Kane County Cougars in the Midwest League in 2015, before playing one month of Advanced A ball for the Visalia Rawhide in 2016.
"I still haven't wrapped my mind around it," Curtis said, referring to his rapid ascent to the Major Leagues. "It is hard for me to comprehend playing one short season, one full season in A ball and then one month into this season of Advanced A ball when this happens. It makes me feel grateful. I am still waiting to be told I am going to Mobile. Words can't describe the gratitude I have for so many people who have helped me."
Middle Tennessee Head Baseball Coach Jim McGuire spoke with Curtis before he flew to Arizona Saturday morning.
"When Zac told me he was going to the Big Leagues I was so happy for him, just all he has been through and where he has come from through middle school to high school to all of his development through junior college and here, I couldn't be more excited for one guy than I am for Zac," McGuire said. "It just shows the toughness and the work ethic and the type of person he is. Now he has a family and he is getting to live his ultimate dream of pitching in the Big Leagues."
Curits was 1-0 with two saves and 22 strikeouts in 10-1/3 innings for Visalia this season. He set the single-season saves record for the Class A Kane County Cougars with 33 last season when he was 4-4 with a 1.33 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 54 innings.
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