Back in January, Amiyah Currie had just returned to her home in Arkansas after participating in the USA Softball High Performance Program in Florida.

What should have been a time to celebrate her success turned into a heavy conversation with her parents.

Her father, William Currie, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and her world changed.

For Amiyah, the outstanding infielder who plays club ball with Armor Elite – O’Neal and was ranked No. 11 in the Line Drive Media HOT 100, the news was difficult to process, especially because her father hadn’t appeared to be sick.

Suddenly, she was confronted with the reality that her family was facing challenges she hadn’t fully understood.

“I was more confused, because my dad didn’t seem sick. But obviously, my heart was broken. My dad was upset; my mom was upset. It kind of made me realize there was more going on with my family that I didn’t even know about.”

As her father traveled to Walter Reed for treatment, Amiyah’s mother, Yvonne Currie, went with him, leaving Amiyah and her sister at home. With both parents away, she had to adjust to a new routine while relying on the people around her for support.

Her grandmother flew in to help care for her sister, while teammates stepped up to provide transportation. The community rallied around the family, delivering meals and arranging grocery deliveries to help ease some of the burden.

“My mom went down with him to Walter Reed, so I was without both my parents,” Amiyah said. “My grandma came; she flew in and took care of me and my sister. And at that time, I couldn’t drive, so I was really relying on my teammates to take me places that I needed to be, and my grandma helped a lot with that too.”

The support extended beyond her immediate family. Neighbors and community members made sure the girls had food and that everyday needs were taken care of while their parents were away.

“I think my community helped a lot with that too.”

Through it all, softball provided Amiyah with a sense of normalcy, even as the uncertainty surrounding her father’s health remained in the back of her mind. She made a conscious effort to stay positive, drawing encouragement from her father, who continued to support her even as he faced his own challenges.

“My dad was texting me, just saying that I got this. So, I think that took my mind off a bit, but obviously, it’s still in the back of your mind all the time.”

Perhaps the most lasting lesson came from watching her father continue to encourage her during one of the most difficult periods of his life.

“I learned that he’s really supportive,” she said. “I think that, like all of us, we take things like that for granted. We don’t realize how supportive our parents can be. Seeing him at his lowest moment, still caring and proud of me was a lot.”

The experience also forced Amiyah to grow up a little faster than she expected. Accustomed to leaning on her parents, she found herself learning how to navigate difficult circumstances and take on responsibilities more independently.

“I think that I lean on my parents a lot, so being more independent and figuring out life myself, and learning that, like, one day I will have to grow up and do this for myself. I think I learned, I need to be independent, even if it’s in a difficult way.”

For Amiyah, the experience offered an unexpected lesson in growing up, one that went beyond anything she might have anticipated as she pursued her goals on the softball field.

*****

Disappointment Leads to Excellence

Long before competing on bigger stages, Amiyah Currie’s softball journey began much like that of many young athletes — playing multiple sports, discovering what she loved and learning how much it meant to her to succeed.

Growing up, she played just about every sport she could, including baseball, basketball and gymnastics. But when her father eventually asked her to choose between gymnastics and softball, the decision was clear. What she didn’t realize yet was just how much the game would come to mean to her.

Although softball was one of several sports Amiyah pursued growing up, a disappointing moment in a recreational softball league helped her realize just how much the game meant to her.

At the time, she was among the youngest players on her recreational team. When coaches selected players for an all-star team, she remembered hearing them discuss her season and acknowledge the progress she had made. Ultimately, however, they chose two older players instead.

For Amiyah, the decision was devastating.

“I remember them talking, and they’re like, ‘Amiyah’s a good player. She’s had a great season, but ultimately decided to pick two older girls,” She recalled. “So, my heart was broken.”

Unable to hide her disappointment, Amiyah called her father in tears. His response would become a turning point in her young softball career.

“My dad was like, ‘I promise you, from this day on, if you keep up with your grades, you’re a great person, I’ll do whatever it takes for you to be the best player and for you to get chosen on those teams.’”

It was a promise that helped change her perspective. What might have seemed like a minor setback in recreational softball became a moment that strengthened her desire to improve and pursue the game more seriously.

“I think that’s really when I decided, okay, I think I want to do softball,” she said. “I didn’t think that I would feel that strongly over not getting picked for an all-star team. Like, it was rec ball. It really didn’t matter, but that was the world to me.”

As Amiyah’s commitment to softball grew, so did her appreciation for what makes the game special. While individual performance plays an important role, she believes the greatest reward comes from seeing her teammates succeed and working together toward a common goal.

“I think, obviously, just seeing my friends and people I’m really close with succeed and bring it all together and winning, I think that’s why,” Amiyah said.

That team-first mentality is matched by a positive approach to the game, one that allows her to move past mistakes and focus on the next opportunity rather than dwelling on what went wrong.

“Even if I strike out or make an error, I still see the positive side of it. Like, ‘Oh, I need to work on this,’ not like tearing myself down,” she said. “I’m good at forgetting stuff and not keeping them in my brain.”

That ability to reset has become an important part of how Amiyah approaches the game. She understands that mistakes are inevitable, but how a player responds can make all the difference.

Offensively, Amiyah sees her booming bat as one of her biggest strengths, a skill she has relied on throughout her softball career. At the same time, she believes her continued development on defense has made her a more complete player.

“I think that’s what I bring to the game is my bat. I think that I always have. I’ve always been a pretty good hitter. I think my defense now has been a lot stronger, and I think that I’ve grown as a player.”

*****

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

As the Sept. 1 recruiting contact date approached, Amiyah Currie was ready for the next chapter of her softball journey to begin. Rather than nerves, the anticipation of finally hearing from college coaches left her anxious for the day to arrive.

“I was just ready to kind of get it started,” she said.

She and her family tried to keep the day relaxed, starting with breakfast before heading out together to get their nails done. Beneath the excitement, however, was the understanding that the recruiting process would unfold in its own time, regardless of which coaches called.

“Even if they don’t call, it’s still going be okay,” Amiyah recalled.

Kansas was already on Amiyah’s radar, but it wasn’t necessarily her top choice entering the process. She had attended a camp in Lawrence just two weeks before Sept. 1, giving her an opportunity to get to know the program and its coaching staff.

What she found left a lasting impression.

Currie was impressed by the Jayhawks’ facilities, the beauty of the campus and the setting of Lawrence, which offered the feel of a smaller community while remaining within driving distance of a larger city. More than anything, though, the visit gave her a feeling she couldn’t easily shake.

“When I went there, it kind of felt like home,” Currie said.

The feeling stayed with her after the camp. In the days that followed, Kansas remained a frequent topic of conversation around the house, with Amiyah and her father even jokingly saying “Rock Chalk,” to each other.

“Usually, you go to a camp and you’re like, ‘Oh, I liked it there,’ but you kind of either forget about it or you don’t keep talking about it,” Amiyah said. “We just couldn’t get Kansas off our brain.”

And when she returned to Lawrence on Sept. 3 the feelings grew more intense.

After her official recruiting visit, her father encouraged her to make the decision for herself, assuring her that he would support her wherever she chose to go.

“It’s your choice. It’s your decision, and whatever you do, I’ll support you no matter what,” Amiyah recalled him telling her.

When Amiyah ultimately committed to Kansas on Sept. 3, the moment meant more than securing her future on the softball field. It was an opportunity for her father to see the result of years of commitment, encouragement and sacrifice.

“He started crying. He was really excited for me. He was excited and proud.”

The reaction was a reflection of just how much her softball journey meant to him. Even as doctors advised him against attending games, he continued to find ways to support his daughter.

“He was like, ‘I don’t really like … don’t tell me what I can and can’t do. I’m still going to support my daughter, and I’ll figure it out after,’” Amiyah recalled.

Despite the challenges he faced, her father remained determined to be there for her. Seeing her reach this milestone made his pride in her accomplishments all the more meaningful.

Her mother, too, could see what the decision meant to her daughter. Although she hadn’t played softball herself, Amiyah’s happiness made it clear that Lawrence was where she wanted to be.

“I think just seeing me happy and how happy I was to be at Kansas really was like, okay, this is her home. This is where she wants to be.”

— Roger McAfee/Line Drive Media Correspondent