All-area baseball: Offseason work pays off for Moore

Sports

SPRINGFIELD — Jordan Moore’s season began long before anyone’s mind turned to baseball. From November to January, the Springfield High School senior worked on his swing with a family friend, former Graham High School and Ball State standout Justin Rogers, the 2002 News-Sun Area Player of the Year.

Although Moore had hit .488 as a junior and was named Clark County Co-Player of the Year by the county coaches, Rogers told Moore his swing needed work.

“It wasn’t horrible,” Moore said, “but there were a lot of changes I could make to it.”

The adjustments paid off when Moore hit a home run in his first at-bat of the first preseason scrimmage.

He took off from there, hitting an area-best .620 in the regular season with nine doubles, 31 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Moore also contributed on the mound with a 2-2 record, including a no-hitter, and a 2.48 ERA in 31 innings.

Because of those numbers, Moore is the 2010 News-Sun All-Area Baseball Player of the Year.

“He’s a tremendous kid in the classroom, and he works his tail off in baseball,” Springfield coach Rob Cassell said. “In the summertime I would go out on the field, and Jordan’s out on the track running. You don’t get many kids who want to put the time in like Jordan and who understand the game as well as Jordan.”

Moore is the first player from North, South or Springfield to win the All-Area award since North pitcher Nick Wagner in 2001.

Moore’s brother Whitney, a 2004 North graduate, also played for the Panthers, so Jordan grew up around the high school team.

“I started talking to coach (Mark) Stoll when I was really young,” Moore said. “I never knew who he was. I got T-shirts, so I was excited. He invited me into the dugout sometimes. You know how superstitious they are. One time we were watching the game, and I got up and moved to a different spot. He told me to get back in the same spot.”

Moore’s other brother Austin didn’t play baseball, but is now a sophomore football player at Miami University. Jordan leaves this week for the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“If anybody is going to be successful at (Air Force), Jordan is the type of kid who will be,” Cassell said.