Curl fulfills dream at A&M

A trip to Omaha, Neb., doesn't exactly come to mind when favorite U.S. places to visit is the topic.

Unless you are Charlie Curl.

As a 10-year-old playing USSSA baseball with an Amarillo team, Curl was in Omaha participating in a tournament.

"The tournament gave us free tickets to the College World Series, and we just went to every game we could," Curl said. "It was a life-changing experience. It was awesome. Right then, I knew I was hoping to be in Omaha playing some day. It's worked out."

Curl is a freshman second baseman for the Texas A&M Aggies, one of eight teams playing in the College World Series that begins Saturday in Omaha.

The Aggies open their bid for a national title against defending champion South Carolina at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Curl, a 2010 Tascosa graduate, continues to make a name for himself with this CWS appearance. Although blessed with speed and athletic ability, Curl shunned the more glorified Friday night lights of football to concentrate on baseball only at Tascosa. And now he is thought to be the first product of Tascosa's baseball program to get the opportunity to participate in the CWS.

"I did not know that," Curl said. "That's cool. It's always been my dream. I knew I didn't have a huge shot in high school to go anywhere in college playing football. Now, looking at these guys down here at A&M how big they are, I made the right decision. I really didn't have that love for football or track, anyway, like I did for baseball."

Curl was expected to be more of a permanent backup his freshman year for A&M, but his ability, hard work and enthusiasm changed all that, A&M head baseball coach Rob Childress said.

"Charlie is just a great athlete, a great baseball player, and he fits who we are here at Texas A&M," Childress said. "When you start talking about the physical package, he has strength and speed. And Charlie has that great spirit. He plays with an edge, plays hard and is always smiling.

"He's had a great, great freshman year for us and been a big part of our success."

Curl has played in 57 of A&M's 67 games, including 30 starts. He's hitting .278 with one homer and 18 RBIs. Curl made his college debut Feb. 22 in a home game against Prairie View A&M.

"That was an awesome experience," Curl said. "It's nice to come in my freshman year and get some playing time and start. Seeing my name in the starting lineup was a dream come true. My biggest adjustment from high school is everybody here is a really good player, so I just had to work hard. It's a lot different than high school. You have to work hard and try and stand out.

Florida State Seminoles College Football Tickets Available

While the Florida State Seminoles college football team was officially established in 1947, the tradition of football in the Florida State University (FSU) began much earlier when a football team was set up in Florida State College, the precursor of the FSU until it was disbanded in 1905 when the college became an all-girls school. Despite the 42-year hiatus in collegiate football, FSU?s passion for the sport has not diminished throughout that time. This enthusiasm has been reflected in the team?s performance as one of the top teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. (ACC)

Named after the Florida-based American Indian tribe, the Seminoles have been playing at the Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, located at the FSU campus in Tallahassee, Florida. Nicknamed ?The Doak,? the stadium was named after former FSU president Doak Campbell. The stadium field was named after Bobby Bowden, longtime (and current) coach of the Seminoles who is legendary in his own right as he steered the team to a number of memorable victories throughout his 32-year career. It is also interesting to note that this stadium is also the largest among all the football stadiums used by the ACC member schools.

Important Moments And Accomplishments

Over the years, the Florida State Seminoles has garnered an impressive number of championships, making it one of the most formidable collegiate football teams in the ACC. To date, it has won 2 national championships in 1993 and 1999. It also won 15 conference titles, 12 of which under the current ACC since it became a member in 1991. The team made a record of 36 bowl appearances in the post-season, the latest being the Music City Bowl in 2007. Of these appearances, the Seminoles won 20 of these games, the latest was the victory in 2006?s Emerald Bowl over UCLA.

Many former Florida State Seminoles have also made their mark in the professional level in the National Football League. (NFL) In addition, many of the team?s players have made it in the prestigious College All-American Football team.

Quarterbacks in the Current Roster

Currently, the team?s quarterbacks are composed of E.J. Manuel, Christian Ponder, D?Vontrey Richardson, Drew Weatherford, Randy Gilbert, and Andrew Nowels.

Recent News

Now on his 32nd year as coach of the Florida State Seminoles, Coach Bobby Bowden and the rest of the team is looking forward for another championship season for the team. So far things are looking pretty good for the Seminoles; they are currently holding 6 wins and only 2 losses in the current ACC football standings for the 2008 football season. The team is looking forward to another championship appearance and a victory along with it. The fans of the Seminoles are looking forward for a possible another feather in the football cap for this Florida State football team. Expectations are high so it would come as no surprise that even a venue as large as the Campbell Stadium would be filled with crowds wanting to witness unfold for their team once more.

Florida State University College Prowler Off the Record

Florida State University 2012, Off the Record

The Greatest Moments of Florida Gator Football

50 Years of College Football, A Modern History of America's Most Colorful Sport

The USA Today College Football Encyclopedia 2009-2010