Jay Neal
Jacksonville Daily Progress
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. —
Former Texas Christian University baseball standout Matthew Curry has had many memorable years on the baseball diamond, but 2010 may just top them all.
Curry batted .339 (84-for-248), playing in 61 games for No. 2-ranked TCU (54-14) this year and hit 18 home runs and drove in 65 runs for a Horned Frog team that came oh so close to winning a national championship in Omaha, Neb. in late June — TCU was eventually eliminated by UCLA (ranked No. 3) on June 26 by a 10-3 margin.
His shining moment in Omaha came in the eighth inning of the Frogs’ elimination bracket game against Florida State on June 23 when he crushed the ball over the outfield wall at Rosenblatt Stadium for a grand slam which was a part of an eight-run inning as the Frogs rallied past the Seminoles, 11-7.
From Fort Worth, Curry headed east after being drafted in the 16th round (477th overall player) of this year’s MLB First Year Player Draft by the Pitts-burgh Pirates as the Bucs assigned Curry to their Class A short season New York-Penn League (NYP) affiliate in State College, Pa.
Since making his professional debut in early July, Curry, a 6-foot-1 225-pound first baseman, has continued to swing a hot stick.
Having played in 45 games for the Spikes, Curry, who is a graduate of Red Oak High School and Howard College, is batting .301 (47-for-156) and has belted five homers while knocking in 22 runs. He also has accounted for 12 doubles.
On July 19 he was selected as the NYP Player of the Week.
About three weeks later Curry was voted as a NYP Mid-Season All-Star as well.
In addition to his parents Doug and Glenda — Doug is a Jacksonville High School graduate — back in Red Oak, Curry has a large group of followers in Cherokee County as well.
His grandmother Nancy Curry, aunt and uncle Carol and Jay Hooker as well as aunt and uncle Christi and Jeff Cunningham (all of Jacksonville) are all proud supporters.
In addition, uncle and aunt Byron and Terri Underwood of New Summerfield are also loyal backers of Curry.
