Medkao Curry wants to set the tone for Carmel this season.
How the senior center fielder does so can vary, but there’s a specific method he strives to get his teammates to emulate.
“Just attack,” Curry said. “You have to be aggressive. It helps put the pressure on the other team.”
Baseball and attack mode aren’t often synonymous, but Curry’s aggressive mindset is an offshoot of how new coach Scott Anderson wants the Corsairs to play.
Anderson, who was the pitching coach last season, has given the entire team a green light on the bases, and he doesn’t want players to be afraid of making mistakes.
Those initiatives suit Curry.
“That fits the way he plays perfectly, and he has no problem having that freedom,” Anderson said. “He’s always going to challenge the other team on the base paths, and he’s always willing to be aggressive at the plate.”
Batting in either of the first two spots in the order fits both Curry’s mentality and his skill set. He’s not a power hitter, but he’s effective using the whole field to set the table for the hitters in the middle of the lineup.
Carmel’s Medkao Curry steals third base during a game against Warren in Gurnee on Thursday, April 28, 2022. (Rob Dicker / News-Sun)
Entering this week, Curry was batting .381 with a .435 on-base percentage and two steals for the Corsairs (3-4). He had three hits, including a leadoff home run, during Carmel’s 6-5 win against Lincoln on Saturday.
“I love swinging at the first pitch,” he said. “If you watch a good pitch, you might not get another one. So if your pitch is there, swing.”
Getting on base is one way Curry makes an impact. He has also developed into a good outfielder.
“He may not be the fastest kid around, but he makes up for it with his instincts, and he gets great jumps on the ball,” Anderson said. “He has a really good drop step and is really good at balls hit over his head.”
Off the field, too, Curry has shown that he’s completely invested, even when he’s not physically present. He missed Carmel’s 10-4 loss to Antioch on March 25 for a previously scheduled college visit. But he texted Anderson afterward and said he noticed a lack of chatter coming from the dugout on the GameChanger live stream he was watching.
That doesn’t surprise Carmel senior Rhett Wolf, who has played with Curry and senior Jacob Chajet since their 10-and-under travel team.
“He’s a total spark plug with the way he plays and acts,” Wolf said about Curry. “He does a really good job rallying the troops, and he’s such a positive force in the dugout. He’s always the first one out to congratulate you and the first one to pick you up.”
Carmel’s Medkao Curry throws the ball back to the infield during an East Suburban Catholic Conference game against St. Viator in Mundelein on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. (Mark Ukena / News-Sun)
Curry wants to keep things moving. Given Anderson’s green light on the bases, Curry prods teammates on first to take off toward second. He also remains partial to the previously installed routine of running from the dugout to the foul pole between innings.
“You don’t want any standing around,” Curry said. “You always want to be in motion. Otherwise, you won’t get much done, and you’ll get lazy.”
Two of his favorite plays so far this season can be credited to hustle. Both occurred during Carmel’s 7-5 win against Palatine on March 21.
In the first instance, Curry turned a pickoff play to his advantage.
“When the pitcher comes set, I jump off, and when I jumped, I got picked off,” Curry said. “I got in a rundown, and the guy threw it away at second base.”
Later in the game, with the score tied at 5-5, Curry came to bat with senior Juan Ledezma on first base. Curry eschewed his aggressive approach to take the first pitch, allowing Ledezma to steal second. Curry then hit a grounder to third, and his urgency in getting down the line forced a throwing error. Ledezma scored the go-ahead run on the throw, and Curry scored two batters later on junior Zach Case’s double.
“Errors happen, so you might as well make the other team think you’re always going to be aggressive,” Curry said. “And it makes things more exciting.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
