Queen of the Circle
Currie Verbally Commits to St. Edwards
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
GRAPELAND – Coach Joel Barbosa recently asked three questions about a softball player he has coached the last two years.
- What do you get with 52 wins and 424 strikeouts over 2 years?
- What do you get with an ERA of .974 in 373 innings pitched over 2 years?
- What do you get giving up only 56 walks out of 1,549 batters faced?
The answer to those questions is you catch the eye of a lot of college coaches who are extremely interested in recruiting you to play at the next level.
Such is the case for Grapeland Sandiette Cadie Belle Currie. The above quoted statistics are all hers. In addition, she was named as the 2017 District 21-2A CO-MVP and 2018 District 21-2A MVP. Currie was selected to the 2017 Class 2A Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State team as well as being selected as a 2017 Class 2A Texas Sports Writers Association First Team All-State Pitcher.
This past year, Currie pitched every inning of every game for the Sandiettes and had a record of 29-9-2. As a part of those 29 wins, she threw 14 shutouts, four no-hitters and one perfect game.
She struck out 224 batters and had a sub-one ERA of 0.972. In the 216 innings she pitched, she only allowed 30 runs and issued just 33 walks.
Most graduating seniors would kill for those type of stats. Currie, however, just finished her sophomore year at Grapeland High School and has two years left to rewrite the GHS record book.
The scouts and coaches have courted the Grapeland pitcher since she was a freshman. Before she starts her junior year, however, Currie put the matter to rest as she verbally committed to the St. Edwards University Hilltoppers.
With her decision to become a Hilltopper when she graduates from GHS, Currie joins teammates Kiera DeCluette
and Cierra Simon as players who have already received offers to play at the next level.
Earlier this week, Currie dropped by The Messenger offices and spoke about her verbal commitment to play for St. Edwards.
“I went on a visit in October and it was a beautiful campus. The campus was open, nothing was too far away and everything was in a normal vicinity. The classes were not very big – which is good – because I wasn’t planning on going to a gigantic school with 1,000 students in a class,” she said with a laugh.
“I loved the coaches,” she continued, “they were fun to be around and they worked hard. Plus, they offered my major – forensic science.”
Currie isn’t the first player from Grapeland to commit to St. Edwards as former Sandiette Baylee Lumbreraz also committed to the play for the Hilltoppers.
“Whenever I went on the visit, they asked me if I knew Baylee,” Currie said. “I told them I had watched her pitch when she was in high school. I watched her play and learned what to expect from a good pitcher.”
Asked specifically what tipped her decision to become a Hilltopper, Currie said they made her a great offer.
“They called me this past weekend and made an even better offer. It was kind of hard to say no. If you go to a big school, they don’t really play the freshman or sophomores but when I get there, I want to play. I’ll be ready to play when I get there,” she said.
Currie was also queried about what would happen if larger universities with extensive softball pedigrees were to express interest (which they have).
“I’ll listen to what they have to say, but I like to keep my word. If I say I’m going to go there, I’m going to go there. I’m not going to be mean and say I’m not going to listen to them but I fully plan to go where I committed,” she explained.
As the discussion continued, Currie spoke about the current state of Hilltoppers’ softball.
“They got new coaches three or four years ago. The players that they had commitments from when they first arrived on campus were from the other coaches, I think. Their season last year wasn’t great but now they’re starting to get the players they want in there. Everybody wants to win and I think it’s just a matter of getting the kids they want to hopefully be able to win the conference,” she said.
St. Edwards is a Division II University and a member of the Heartland Conference.
Changing gears somewhat, Currie was asked about her velocity and she replied it was in the high 50s and low 60s.
She was also asked how many different pitches she currently had in her arsenal.
“I have eight different pitches,” Currie asserted. “Some of them are a bit iffy, but I’m still working on ‘em. I have a fastball, a couple of different change-ups, a screw ball, a cutter, a curveball, a drop, a backdoor curve and a rise.”
Her go-to pitch, she explained, was “… a mix between my curveball, my cutter and my backdoor curve. I’m also working on my rise ball, too.”
Concerning the upcoming season in Grapeland, Currie did not hesitate when asked what the team goal was.
“To win state,” she said with no hesitation. “We set that goal last year and we could have but … sometimes I think we need to work harder on our own rather than just in practice. It’s tough. I think we might need to work on our hitting a little more. We work on it a lot, but the further you go in the playoffs, the more movement a pitcher has on her pitch.”
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
5