UNCG alumn Currin earns promotion to Class-AA Midland

MIDLAND, TX – Former UNC Greensboro pitcher Patrick Currin earned a call-up over the weekend, being promoted to Class AA Midland in the Texas League.

Currin, a reliever in the Oakland A’s organization, hit the ground running at Midland. He was called into duty on Sunday afternoon, retiring all seven batters he faced – four by strikeout – to earn the victory. Midland’s 7-3 over Springfield ran the Rockhounds’ record to 9-1 this season, good for first place in the Texas League’s Southern Division. Currin came on with one out in the fifth just after Springfield had tied the game, 3-3. With runners at first and second, however, Currin coaxed Shane Robinson into a double play ball to end the threat. He then got a strikeout and a pair of ground ball outs in the sixth before striking out the side in the seventh.

Currin began this season at Class A Stockton, where he spent a good portion of last year. At Stockton as the team’s closer this season, he had appeared in four games with no record, one save and an ERA of 3.00. He had eight strikeouts and three walks in six innings of work.

Last year, Currin appeared in 43 games as a part-time closer for Stockton after beginning the year at Kean County. He went 4-7 with 12 saves and a 4.80 ERA at Stockton, earning a spot in the California League All-Star game. At one point last season, he went 14 straight appearances without allowing a run.

Currin, a native of Chapel Hill, NC, was 10-3 with eight saves with UNCG in 2006, logging an ERA of 2.93. He was a second-team All-SoCon selection and also earned second-team Academic All-American honors. His 38 appearances that season tied for the third most in school history. Opponents hit just .227 against him during the course of the 2006 season. His eight saves in 2006 were also the third-most in school history, including a historic save when UNCG knocked off top-ranked and eventual national runner-up North Carolina on April 18.

For his career, Currin’s 14 saves tied for second in school history and his 197 strikeouts ranked ninth on the UNCG all-time list. He logged 234-2/3 innings, which also ranked seventh all-time at UNCG. His 95 career relief appearances were second most in school history.

He was the 14th player in school history to be selected in the Major League Baseball draft when he was picked up in the 22nd round of the 2006 draft by Oakland. Last year at short-season Class A Vancouver, he was 2-5 out of the bullpen with a 3.66 ERA, striking out 38 and walking eight in 32 innings of work.

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