Auburn Family: For freshman infielder and father, It Just Means Moore

Auburn Family: For freshman infielder and father, It Just Means MooreAuburn Family: For freshman infielder and father, It Just Means Moore
Wade Rackley

Brody Moore

AUBURN, Ala. – Brody Moore arrived at Auburn last summer with dreams of becoming a baseball star on the Plains, just like his dad.

By the time fall practice began, Brody was in a wheelchair.

A routine knee X-ray revealed a non-cancerous growth, requiring surgery in late August from a specialist in Gainesville, Florida.

"Diagnosed with a tumor inside my leg," Moore said. "They had to go in and cut it out."

Moore picked up the nickname, "Scooter," for his mode of transportation during the fall semester. While his teammates competed in fall baseball, determining the lineup for the 2019 season, Brody could only watch.

"It was rough and we felt for him because we knew it was going to take away from what he really and truly wanted to be doing," said Brandon Moore, Brody's father, who hit .332 for the Tigers while starting 242 games from 1991-94 

"It was a scary time," Brandon said. "We were truly blessed. The Auburn training staff was very helpful and helped us with finding a place to go, getting him diagnosed the right way and taken care of.

Brandon Moore. 1994

"It was tough going through the fall knowing that he wasn't going to be on the field. The rehab process was a lengthy one. For him to be where he's at right now is just a blessing."

A shortstop at Oneonta High School in Alabama, Brody practiced at first base when the Tigers began working out in January.

When Rankin Woley was hit by a pitch Saturday against Alabama, Brody made his first SEC start on Sunday, delivering three hits, an RBI and two runs scored in the Tigers' 17-7 series clinching win.

"It was just something I've always dreamed of," Brody said. "I just feel like I was born to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide."

Watching from the stands at Plainsman Park, Brandon Moore flashed back a quarter-century.

"I can remember playing Alabama," said Brandon, who coached Brody in high school. "It doesn't matter if you're playing them in football, baseball or tiddlywinks, you want to beat them.

"To see him have a successful day and see the team get a big W that we needed for a lot of reasons and to show the character that they showed after a tough loss Saturday night was really fun to watch. As a dad, to see your son do well, it's always a great day."

An All-SEC infielder in 1994 when he batted .361 with a team-high 66 RBI, Brandon's senior season at Auburn culminated with a trip to Omaha for the College World Series, a legacy his son aspires to duplicate.

"He says it's the trip of a lifetime," Brody said. "I'm hoping to make that."

When Auburn coach Butch Thompson addressed the Tigers in the dugout after Sunday's win, he singled out Moore for the freshman's determination.

The dream Brody Moore brought with him to campus was deferred, but not denied. With seven hits in 13 at-bats, he's sporting a robust .538 batting average, giving Thompson and the Tigers one more resource as the postseason looms.

"I know his dad's got to be proud because he was a really good Auburn baseball player," Thompson said. "I know Auburn was special to him, and I can only imagine as a father, seeing his son out there starting a game and helping his team win, especially against a rival.

"We're happy with Brody's progress and how he's hung in there after missing the whole fall, to get to a point, this day, this late in the year, is just good perseverance. Proud of him."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer