Current’s starting chance taken away

Editor’s note: Jay County High School spring student athletes are dealing with a new reality of not having school in session as well as having their sports season canceled. This “Senior Spotlight” series will recognize those spring senior athletes who had their final year as a Patriot cut short.

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On a team with eight seniors, she had to wait her turn to get into the lineup.

A seldom-used player at the varsity level, Trinity Current spent the majority of her junior year on the junior varsity softball team.

The departure of such a large group created an opportunity for her to finally crack the starting lineup.

Her coach assured her she was going to be a starting outfielder.

Current never got the chance for her first start, her last first home game or her final game as a Jay County High School softball player as she had her only opportunity to start taken away from her when the IHSAA announced April 2 it was canceling the spring sports season.

“I was devastated, honestly,” Current, an 18-year-old Dunkirk resident said. “I just wanted to get a chance to play with the girls I’ve played with the last four years.

“I was looking forward to getting to play softball and having graduation and experiencing everything seniors in the past get to experience.”

The only child of Danielle Johns and Chad Current, Trinity appeared in just two games for Jay County in the 2019 season, during which the Patriots finished 9-13 and lost their first sectional game for the fourth consecutive season. She made her season debut May 10 in a 16-5 victory against Wes-Del and was hitless in one at bat. On the following day, she recorded her first career hit, going 1-for-5 in a 16-4 triumph over Hagerstown.

In line to be just one of two seniors this year, Current was anticipating getting to spend more time on the field, especially when coach Monty Misscano told her she’d be a starter.

But it was Missicano who had informed her the rest of her senior year academically had been canceled. Hours later, the IHSAA had made its decision too.

“I was pretty upset,” she said. “I had some hope before that.”

She still got to wear her uniform at least once, though. On Friday, she posted a photo on her Twitter account in her jersey, holding a bat while standing in front of the Patriot softball logo on the back of the team’s dugout. Accompanying the photo was her caption, “Might not have gotten to play but at least I got a picture in the uniform one last time.”

Current is a member of the National Honor Society, student council and was formerly a member of DECA. After graduation, she plans to attend Indiana University-Kokomo to study human resources.

“I studied up on it and looked into it,” she said of why she chose her intended career path. “My mom was in human resources and she really liked it. I thought it’d be something good for me.”

Like many students, Current is adjusting to a new way of academics following the March 13 announcement Jay Schools — at the time — would be closed for a month.

The hardest part, she said, is trying to learn over a computer and getting the attention from teachers she desires. She said getting one-on-one time with her instructors has sometime become difficult.

“It’s as good as it’s going to get,” she said.

When asked what one word her friends might use to describe her, Current said “bubbly.” The soft-spoken senior said she enjoys spending most of her time with friends, but Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s stay-at-home order has made that nearly impossible.

She’s been filling that void by spending more time working on her art or reading. After taking an introductory 2-D art class, she fell in love with the craft. Having one of her pieces selected for the school’s art show enticed her to keep going with the hobby as well.

“I saw all the paintings and wanted to give it a shot,” she said. “I ended up being good at it.”

While she’ll definitely miss roaming the halls of Jay County High School, seeing and interacting with her teachers has been her favorite part about school.

“They’ve been doing so well to keep our assignments even though there are so many of them,” she said, also noting Anni McClung as her favorite teacher because of her spontaneity and lively personality. “They are keeping us updated and trying to make it work.”

When it comes to advice she’d give her freshman self, she gave the cliche answer: don’t take any time for granted because high school goes by too fast.

But she elaborated a bit further, too.

“Work hard,” she said. “Be respectful. Make new friends. I’ve made so many friends over the last four years that I didn’t think I would.”