Moe realizes dream of college baseball

Just thinking about that moment — his mother dressed down in a heavy coat with mittens on and a stocking cap covering her head, evoked an ear-to-ear smile.

It is not something a lot of other mothers would do, but Moe has plans to take the sport of baseball as far as he can, maybe even professionally, and so through that level of commitment from someone he loves, he vows to pay it forward at the next level, where he accepted a scholarship offer to play baseball for Clackamas Community College.

“She doesn’t do this because she expects me to play collegiate baseball or because she expects me to do anything necessarily. She does it because she loves me,” Moe said. “She knows that I love something and that I am passionate about baseball, so she wants to do anything she can to feed that, and that means more than anything to me. My mom has been so big in my life. I couldn’t have accomplished anything without her. She is always there for me and it means everything to share this with her.”

Moe will finish out his high school career starting in March, and once he graduates the plan is to move in with his teammates closer to campus and put in more work to prepare for fall ball and beyond.

With a major of marketing and business, coupled with baseball, Moe is mentally preparing himself for the next challenge of balancing various aspects of adulthood away from home.

“I think he will do well,” said Devore, a former college softball player. “In college, he will have to work even harder to be successful in his academics and athletics. Coming out of high school he has been very successful, but he already knows that his workload is going to double. As long as he keeps his nose to the grindstone, he will be successful because he can see a goal ahead of him that he has to reach to go further in college. It is going to take a lot, but I know he will be able to handle it.”

As a sophomore, Moe boasted a .432 batting average with two home runs and 19 RBIs, adding four doubles and 11 runs scored to his stat line in 37 league at-bats.

From his catcher’s position, he committed just two errors in 12 league contests to pick up first-team all-Blue Mountain Conference honors.

Last spring, Moe committed two errors and cut down six base stealers on defense, and notched a .458 batting average with two home runs, nine doubles, 17 runs and 14 RBIs, to go with six strikeouts in 48 plate appearances.

While Moe suffered a season-ending thumb injury late in league play, his worth was noted by opposing coaches when it came down to voting, as he earned first-team recognition and was an honorable mention selection for the 2A all-state squad.

“Bradley is the type of player all coaches dream of having,” Sherman head coach Joe Justesen said. “His baseball IQ is off the charts. He lives and breathes the game and it shows in how much growth he has shown as a player. Aside from baseball, Bradley is a great kid, a smart kid and someone who will go far in life. I am happy for Bradley. He is a great example for all these young guys to follow.”

The road to baseball achievement has had its share of tumultuous times, as Moe has moved from Hood River and to Arlington before settling in at Sherman.

At one point, Moe had some doubts as to whether his constant shuffling would hurt his chances of being scouted and evaluated by college coaches.

But his belief never waned.

He used those tough times as fuel for his unrelenting preparation.

“There has definitely been a lot of times where Bradley has been frustrated, because of the moving, but I think with the work ethic he has, he made himself into the player he is today,” Devore said. “He is always looking further down the road and he knows that he has gotten himself to this point and it will be his drive that will get him to the next step after this, so I am very proud of him for keeping that dream alive with his passion for achieving his goals in life.”

Through the years, Moe played on all-star teams, traveled to The Dalles for legion ball and also made trips to Portland to play summer baseball with some new faces.

Getting acclimated to new surroundings is nothing new to the 6-foot-1 inch, 200-pound multi-sport athlete.

The biggest adjustment will be facing college pitchers throwing in the 90s and proving himself behind the plate, calling good games and handling sliders, changeups and curveballs from top-tier talents from across the college landscape.

One person who will keep close tabs of his progress is reigning 2A Player of the year, Kolbe Bales, a pitcher currently playing baseball for Western Oregon University.

“Bradley is a really great friend of mine. He is a great player and a kid that’s going to work his butt off, no matter what,” Bales said. “He puts a lot of work in, in the classroom, weight room and on the field. I am very happy that it all worked out for him and I know he is going to have great success at Clackamas Community College.”

While the future is uncertain, Moe is headed to the Clackamas campus in Oregon City willing and ready to give it his best, a philosophy he’s had through this journey.

“Everyone in my life has taught me that I am going to have to work as hard I can if I am going to go anywhere,” Moe said. “It is always tough to step out of your comfort zone, but it is something I have embraced and enjoyed, because I know that is something I am going to have to do to make myself a better athlete and a better person. That is how you need to find yourself succeeding in life. I am looking forward to this. You can’t go into a new situation scared, you have to be willing to embrace change, especially when you are working toward accomplishing your goals.”