FSU Gains a Baseball Player Written by: Kaitlyne Piper Photos submitted by: Connor Moore
Florida State University (FSU) has just added Connor Moore to their baseball roster. Moore is currently a senior at St. Johns Country Day High School (SJCD) where he plays shortstop. Baseball was introduced early into Moore’s life. His father taught him by playing catch and everything with him at a young age. He started playing at the age of three and never stopped. A special addition to Moore’s baseball career thus far is that he also plays with his younger brother, Tyce Moore, who plays third base. Connor says his little brother has helped the most in his career. He goes on to say that every day they hit, throw and coach each other. He said it helps that his brother is just as good as him. “We’re basically a family,” said Connor Moore when speaking about his team. Their baseball pro30 | itgnext.com
gram is just growing, but the base of being a close family is there. As for this season he says that they are looking forward to competing for that state championship winner title which is their ultimate goal. Last year, the team won districts which beforehand Moore says was not a usual thing. The previous season was cut short due to COVID-19. “COVID left us a bitter taste in our mouths,” said Moore. “But this year we have been overly cautious with a mask policy and social distancing as much as possible.” This season is thankfully still happening so it will be exciting to see Moore’s defensive skills out to work. “I need to let my fundamentals work.” Thankfully Moore got to have a memorable career moment. His team was at the bottom of the seventh inning against Ridgeview, when Moore was up to bat knowing their team was down by two and he hit a walk off
home run. This type of success has led Moore to trust more in himself and be less anxious at the plate. “I’m competitive towards anything. It doesn’t matter whether it’s UNO or a scrimmage game within the team, it’s always competitive,” said Moore. This relates to his biggest athletic inspiration, Derek Jeter. Jeter to Moore is a great role model, an amazing defender and he likes to relate his game to his. Moore is excited to play a few teams this season. One being The Bolles School because SJCD is always compared to them as who is the best in Jacksonville. Calvin Christian is another team due to them being one of the top in the country so it will be a challenging game. Lastly, IMG which is the number one baseball team in the country, which will be a great game to watch. As for advice to younger players, Moore wants to mention for
them to keep working and that dreams do come true. This is true for Moore because his skill set has led him to be able to commit to playing baseball for FSU. He plans to major in business finance saying, “I love numbers”. Even with his love for numbers, he still wants to see how far baseball will take him. The major reason he decided to choose FSU was for the family atmosphere. He wanted to continue to feel what he did in high school in college. “If I let my athletic ability take over, I will do the right thing,” says Moore. He believes his greatest
strength is his defense and that FSU took notice of his skill set. Connor Moore does mention that as his senior year is coming to a close, he will miss his high school. The thing he mentions missing the most is the lifelong friends he has made at SJCD and playing with his brother. Now that he is set on a new path, with a new team, and new supporters, how far Moore will go is going to be one to keep an eye on over the years to come.
