Two Kansas City Monarchs standouts are enjoying an ‘awesome’ (and ‘random’) reunion
Connor Curlis didn’t expect to know too many familiar faces when he signed for the Kansas City Monarchs.
The lefty pitcher hails from Findlay, Ohio, a small suburban town in the northwest corner of the Buckeye State. The southpaw’s initial connection to the Monarchs was J.C. Keys, a teammate from the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts.
The two talked via FaceTime to give Curlis a look at the locker room. One of the name plates in the clubhouse caught Curlis’ eye.
“Looking up and down the roster, he was the name that stuck out,” Curlis said.
It belonged to an outfielder he’d spent nearly his whole life competing against.
Monarchs outfielder Ross Adolph is a fellow Findlay native. The two were some of the top baseball prospects in Ohio growing up.
“I’ve been playing against Connor since third grade,” Adolph said. “As we got older and played together more, we were able to get closer.”
The two rivaled each other until high school. Adolph went to Van Buren, a county school. Curlis went to Findlay High.
The years of battling it out in baseball brought them closer together.
“I went to his playoff high school football game in Lima,” Curlis said. “We always kept up with each other.”
Lima, another small town in Ohio, brought the two even closer together. The duo both committed to play for the Lima Locos, a summer wood-bat team, after their freshman years of college.
The two rode 30 minutes from Findlay to Lima each day.
“It was an amazing summer, carpooling with Ross every day,” Curlis said. “We made it all the way to the championship. Being able to play with Ross then and now being able to play with him again in Kansas City means a lot.”
The two have been crucial for the Monarchs in 2024. Adolph leads Kansas City with 12 home runs and a .959 OPS. Curlis has recorded 46 strikeouts across 13 appearances this season.
“People are so surprised when I tell them we’re from the same city in Ohio,” Adolph said. “It is random. Now we’re here on the same team. It’s been awesome.”
The two are looking to lead the Kansas City Monarchs back to another playoff berth this September. Kansas City is currently on a season-long 13-game homestand that continued Tuesday night against the Chicago Dogs, a rematch of the 2023 Miles Wolff Cup Finals.