By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
Justin “Gator” Moore is used to the “ping” sound when his aluminum bat squarely meets a baseball. He was hearing different beautiful music when he rapped out a couple hits in a wood bat tournament in September.
Moore, a junior at Washington High School, had the opportunity to play in the Under Armour Fall Classic from Sept. 12-14 in Jupiter, Fla. The Pam Pack slugger played in the Robert Dean Sports Complex, the spring training site of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The national invitational tournament, featuring many of the country’s top 17-and-under players, drew several scouts. There were 14 teams in the tournament.
Moore, who played in all four games, said the competition was strong. He was joined by players from such states as South Carolina, New York, California, New Jersey, Texas, Tennessee, Nebraska.
The team was coached by Steve Barnhardt, a scout with the Colorado Rockies, and Bill Bliss, a scouting supervisor with the Baltimore Orioles.
Moore said he was able to bond with is teammates early.
Though he’s accustomed to swinging an aluminum bat, Moore made a smooth transition to the wooden bats used in the tournament. He made eight plate appearances and banged out two hits while drawing three walks.
His first hit was a blooper to right field.
Moore played all three outfield positions during the tournament, and even made one appearance on the mound. He retired three of the four batters he faced, while the other got on by error.
Moore is expecting to play an outfield spot for the Pam Pack baseball team in the spring. He may even make an appearance or two on the mound if he’s needed.
Moore believes that playing against quality competition in front of scouts and at a top-notch facility will only help him out in the long run.