Attended Prairie View A M

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.

e-Perspectives - Volume 11, Issue 3, 2011 - FRB Dallas

Communi-Versity: Economic Strategy Draws on the City and University at Prairie View

In February 2010, community leaders and university officials who were interested in the future of both the city of Prairie View, Texas, and Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) attended a roundtable discussion hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ Houston Branch. Out of this first meeting arose “Communi-Versity,” a joint venture of the community and the university focused on creating an environment conducive to economic development. Read more »

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) assists historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with grants through the Office of University Partnerships. The office helps the HBCUs expand their role and effectiveness in addressing community development needs in their local regions. HUD grants are awarded to help revitalize neighborhoods and promote affordable housing near HBCU campuses. Read more »

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