TACOMA, Wash. - Throughout the rest of the semester, GoLutes.com will profile the Pacific Lutheran University senior student-athletes involved in spring sports that had their seasons cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today's installment features PLU baseball student-athlete Andrew Curran.

After four years on the Lute baseball team, Andrew Curran has learned to approach everything with a positive mindset.
 

Hometown: Puyallup, Wash.

Appearances: 53 Innings Pitched: 110 Strikeouts: 89 Team Record at PLU: 80-56

Last season, the Lutes went down to Willamette University and won two out of three games, earning them a ticket to the Northwest Conference Tournament. After a season of being overlooked by the conference, Curran felt like the success of that weekend was a special moment.
 
That experience, along with other baseball memories, taught Curran the importance of staying focused and positive.
 
"Baseball has shown me that not everything is always going to go your way, but regardless of how everything is going you still have to approach everything with a positive attitude and do things the right way" Curran said. "You can't take shortcuts and expect things to go your way."
 
Curran reflected on the moment at the end of his sophomore year when he almost quit the team. Head Coach Nolan Soete met with Curran weekly, a dialogue that ultimately led to Curran staying with the team, a decision he would take full advantage of over the next two years. That commitment from his coach, and with it his teammates, impacted Curran greatly.
 
"My teammates have been some of the most supportive people I've been around, with a few becoming some of my best friends," Curran said. "Overall, I couldn't ask for a better group of people to have spent the last four years with."
 
Curran became a leader in the athletic community as a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. He also enjoyed living with his teammates, and having more teammates living just across the street. 
 
"It's created some awesome memories that I'll never forget," Curran said. 
 
One the Lutes' top arms out of the bullpen, Curran made 53 appearances for the Lutes over the past four seasons, owning a 9-6 record with four saves. He's racked up 89 strikeouts in 110 innings of work, earning Second Team All-Northwest Conference accolades in 2017. His success helped the Lutes win the NWC regular season title in 2018 and was a big reason why PLU qualified for the NWC Tournament every year.

"Andrew is a local kid from Emerald Ridge High School," said Head Coach Nolan Soete. "Athletically, I don't think anyone grew more than Andrew during his time at PLU. He blossomed into one of the more electric arms in the Northwest Conference. Andrew experienced a lot of success early on during his freshman year, battled through some injuries over the years and was performing really well as a senior.  He was second on the team in ERA when our season came to an end. You can always count on Andrew to lead by example and his teammates respected him for his work ethic. Andrew was an absolute pleasure to coach."
 
Curran will be graduating with a degree in Math Education, and plans to attend Western Governors University for his master's degree in education, and then become a high school math teacher.