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Photo by Kyle Parmley.
Tate Moseley is a star in the making for Hewitt-Trussville’s softball team.
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Photo by Kyle Parmley.
Carson Skipper credits his defense for nearly all of his success on the mound. Skipper sees himself as a contact pitcher, and relies on his defense behind him on a nightly basis.
Tate Moseley and Carson Skipper still have a few years left to excite the fans at Hewitt-Trussville High School, but they also have one eye set on their future as student-athletes at Auburn University.
It doesn’t hurt that the two are good friends as well.
“It’s really exciting,” Moseley said. “I was so excited when he committed. He would talk to me about it when they were talking to him.
“We talk about our signing party all the time, how it’s going to be all Auburn,” she said.
Moseley is the center fielder and leadoff hitter for the Lady Husky softball team, while Skipper is the ace on the mound for the baseball team.
When it comes to Auburn, as is always the case in the state of Alabama, bloodlines run deep when it comes to allegiance to either Auburn or the University of Alabama.
On one hand, Skipper has been sold on Auburn from the beginning.
“Auburn is where I’ve always wanted to go. It’s my favorite school. It was a pretty easy decision for me,” Skipper said.
Then, on the other hand, Moseley’s family bleeds crimson and white.
“My whole family is (made up of) Alabama fans, still,” she said.
The conversion attempts could take a long time for Moseley, but she’s started to make a little progress. Her dad now supports the orange and blue softball program, even if he still supports other Alabama sports.
But Moseley has switched to a one-track mind since falling in love with the Loveliest Village on the Plains. “Auburn, all the way,” she said. “All Auburn.”
She laughs about the dynamic and says her family has been on board with her decision. Family comes before school allegiances, and rightfully so.
On the field, both have emerged as dynamic, key players for their teams. Skipper emerged as a freshman last year and has proven to be one of the most reliable options the Huskies put on the mound each week.
Skipper sees himself as a contact pitcher, and relies on his defense behind him on a nightly basis.
“Ninety-percent (of my success) is defense behind me,” he said. “If they’re making plays then I’m feeling good. I let people put the ball in play a lot.”
Head coach Jeff Mauldin arrived at Hewitt-Trussville when Skipper entered the seventh grade, when he began playing middle school ball. Butch Thompson arrived at Auburn around the time Skipper’s recruiting process began.
“I feel like it’s a blessing, really,” Skipper said of the way the timing has worked out.
Moseley’s travel ball affiliation with the Birmingham Bolts was helpful in her exposure to Auburn, as she was invited to campus after participating in a camp. On her unofficial visit to the campus, she fell in love.
“I just knew that’s where I wanted to be,” she said.
Moseley made the transition to center field after Amber Hammonds graduated in 2015. Moseley played in right last season, and the transition to center actually made her feel more at home.
“I play center in travel ball so it was actually weird playing right (last year). Center is my home. I’ve always played center, except for last year…I love center.”
Moseley has also gone an offensive transition in her young career. She switched from being a right-handed hitter and moved to the left side around the age of nine or ten.
“I would hit a ground ball to short, and I would get thrown out by half a step,” she said.
The solution? To swap sides of the plate to make up for that half step.
She said it took about a year to become comfortable hitting left-handed, but what allowed her to reach that point is what has carried her throughout her career in every aspect: an unparalleled work ethic.
“All things come from hard work. If you work hard, you can just trust yourself, muscle memory, it’ll just happen,” she said.
Burson added, “She works super hard and she wants it more than I even understand. Her work ethic is amazing…It’s amazing to me that she’s willing to work so hard for something she wants to do.”
Whether the pair credits their coaches or other players, Moseley and Skipper each possess great talent, talent that will make its way to Auburn in just a few years’ time.
