To describe Andrean senior outfielder Maddi McCoy, teammate Aubrey Grasha coined a term.
“I try to be ‘Maddi fast,’” Grasha said with a laugh. “But it’s really hard.
“She’s very fast, and I look up to that a lot. I know she can get to those balls, and I trust her so much. I wouldn’t trust anybody else in center field more than I do Maddi.”
Andrean coach Allison Aguilera agreed that “Maddi fast” is different.
“Nobody’s that fast,” Aguilera said. “She covers left field to right field. Maddi, the way she can move to a ball, you just wouldn’t believe it. It makes my life a lot easier.”
McCoy’s speed has been an important part of her success as the center fielder and leadoff hitter for the 59ers (9-6, 3-3), who are ranked No. 6 in the Class 2A state coaches poll as they compete in the Northwest Crossroads Conference. She was batting a team-high .532 with 10 RBIs, a team-high 21 runs scored and a team-high 14 stolen bases before a scheduled game against defending Class 4A state champion Crown Point on Thursday.
“Maddi is very scrappy in the batter’s box,” Grasha said. “She has a great demeanor to her in the box. She knows what the pitcher is throwing, and she relays that back to the team. That’s a very good thing about being a leader and being able to communicate to your team, what the other pitchers and even the other hitters are doing.”
Aguilera also highlighted McCoy’s role atop Andrean’s lineup.
“She’s a great leadoff hitter,” Aguilera said. “She gets on, I don’t want to say 10 out of 10 times, but most of the time. She’s in scoring position right off the bat because of her great speed. She reads the ball well. She does a really great job.”
McCoy became a full-time starter last season and batted second for the 59ers as their center fielder in the Class 2A state championship game, their second appearance on that stage in three seasons. McCoy, who pinch ran as a freshman in Andrean’s previous appearance in 2023, hit .394 with 10 RBIs and team highs of 32 runs scored and 26 stolen bases last season.
“Something felt different last year,” McCoy said. “I don’t know how to explain it. Last year, it kind of clicked into place for me. I remembered to have fun and just keep playing. Prior years, I was so in my head, and I had to get out of there.
“This year, I’ve definitely grown more vocal. I was quieter last year and let the seniors lead. Now that we’re seniors, we have to step up, and I’ve definitely gotten more vocal. I’m leading by example now and just trying to fill the shoes of our past seniors.”
Aguilera, an assistant for the 59ers during the previous two seasons, believes McCoy and Grasha are fulfilling that responsibility. Grasha, a St. Francis recruit, is a four-year starter with two seasons at shortstop.
“These two are our leaders,” Aguilera said. “Aubrey has taken the reins, and she’s been the natural leader from the go from myself being here the last three years. She really owns the infield, and she’s an extension of us as a staff. Maddi’s really stepped into the role specifically this year. She’s always been a great center fielder and a leader in the outfield, but she’s really stepped into the role of leading and getting the girls to where they need to be so we don’t have to do that as a staff.
“They’re both huge for us on and off the field. They say what they do, and they do what they say. That’s huge. Sometimes people will say something, but they don’t walk the walk. Having them in my first year has been just a really great experience for me because I couldn’t do it without these seniors. These two really set the tone. I’m going to miss them.”
McCoy and Grasha recalled meeting as 7-year-olds and playing together on a youth basketball team that McCoy’s father coached. They’ve also been teammates in travel softball.
“We’ve known each other for a very long time, since we were little, and she has a very full personality,” Grasha said. “She’s very funny. She’s a good person to laugh with and be around because she’s so personable. She can take any joke that you throw at her. Playing so long with her, we’ve really grown that bond and trust toward each other.
“She’s just a good friend to have. She’s a great person.”
McCoy also played volleyball as a freshman, basketball as a freshman and sophomore, and golf as a junior and senior. But she intends to focus on her academics at Butler, where she wants to study pharmacy.
Aguilera, a 2008 Lake Central graduate who played softball at Evansville, has encouraged McCoy to be a walk-on for the Bulldogs, underscoring her esteem for McCoy’s talent. McCoy didn’t entirely rule out that scenario, but she would be OK if another pursuit of a state title is her final chapter.
“I decided to end it off on a good note,” McCoy said. “Softball will always hold a special place in my heart. I’d rather just end it here and have a good memory of it.
“(Assistant) coach (Jim) Menke always tells us to leave a place better than how you found it. I just want people to look up to me and not necessarily how I play, but my demeanor on the field and how I set an example for people. That’s the lasting impact I want to have on someone.”
