Amy McCurdy likes to have her actions do the talking.

Amy McCurdy College Signing Photo Gallery

The Community R-6 senior infielder was loud with her numbers this season, earning second team all-state and first team all-conference, all-district and all-region. McCurdy took a resounding step on Friday in the Community R-6 High School gym when she signed to play college softball at Division II Quincy University. 

“I’ve put in a lot of hard work, and I’ve had to prove to a lot of people that I am good enough to play at the next level,” McCurdy said. “A lot of my coaches did not believe in me or have faith that I would be able to do it or even think I was good enough. A lot of my old teammates didn’t. I just really wanted to prove to them that I can and I am.”

McCurdy said she loves softball and it’s what she does “every single day, all day.” She said she has been playing on a diamond since she was in kindergarten but became more serious around eighth grade when she started playing travel ball.

When she was 12 or 13 years old, McCurdy said she played on a 16U team so she was the youngest on the roster. It was a feeling she was used to until she eventually rose to a role of leadership later in her high school career. As a senior, McCurdy was a steady presence in the lineup by leading the team with a .464 average, a .524 on-base, 30 RBI and a 1.122 OPS and tied for the runs lead along with Peyton Schafer with 42.

“I’m not used to being the oldest or the leader on the team,” McCurdy said. “I’m used to being one of the youngest and alway having somebody tell me what to do. I don’t like telling other people what to do.”

Head coach Kendra Murphy said McCurdy set a good example for her teammates. McCurdy started this season with a 14-game hitting streak and stretched that into a 21-game on-base streak. 

Murphy said there were some areas where she thought McCurdy could improve going into her senior season. She said McCurdy’s work in school and travel ball cemented her future as a college player.

“We went through some highs and lows last year, and she did a much better job in every game, making a statement at the plate,” Murphy said. “Last year, there were several games of, ‘OK, where did Amy go?’ and all of a sudden, we found her again. She was a constant threat at the plate all season along, and then on defense, getting the errors down. She stepped up huge on defense.”

Murphy said McCurdy showing the willingness for further improvement definitely makes her ready for the college level. As of the senior Lady Trojans this season, that’s a necessary quality to have.

“It’s important for the upperclassmen to both be able to lead the team with their words and then back it up with their play,” Murphy said. “She’s somebody that has a lot to offer the underclassmen with her knowledge of the game. When you’re able to produce on the field, I think it takes it to a whole other level. The underclassmen are able to see, ‘When we do it like this and when we practice like this, these are the results that we get.’”

McCurdy admitted there was a “mental toll” this past season, not because of the added leadership responsibility but due to her being sick every single game from the medicine she was taking. She said she is excited to continue playing softball but doesn’t want that to take away from her studies as she plans to major in pediatric nursing at a school with “the best nursing opinion around.”

“I’m able to balance school and softball really well,” McCurdy said. “I need that for college. I put in the work outside of everything in order to do that. I’m used to doing it now so I’ll be able to do it then.”