Senior varsity baseball players Jacob Spring and Tyler Moore are preparing for their 13th year of playing together when they start at Coffeyville Community College this fall. The two started playing together in second grade and have been on the same team, except for a couple years, since then.

“When we first started playing, Tyler used to be the homerun hitter and a star pitcher,” Spring said. “I used to go to his house and see all the baseballs from his homeruns and think, ‘Ah man, I wish I had one of those.’”

Spring didn’t quite stand out compared to Moore that first year.

“He was one of the smaller kids,” Moore said, laughing.

“Yeah, and I used to play third base,” Spring said, a change from left field, which he currently plays. “And I was new to the area so I didn’t know too many people.”

The two continued playing together once they got to high school. Spring has been on the varsity team all four years and Moore has played varsity since his sophomore year.

“It’s been a fun, good experience,” Spring said of his time on the varsity team. “I also feel like high school baseball made me a better player.”

“It’s prepared us for the next level, which is college,” Moore said. “It just goes to show what a good coach [Jeff] Strickland is.”

Both Spring and Moore emphasize that the coaching during their high school career has been the contributing factor to their positive experience.

“They’ve all been really helpful,” Moore said of the varsity coaches. “Both Strickland and [Dustin] Stinnett have played a college level so they have the experience that’s necessary to coach.”

“I appreciated how passionate they are,” Spring said. “They already know we care, so it’s really great to have them show how much they care.”

Head coach Jeff Strickland has been impressed with Moore and Spring’s efforts over the last four years.

“Their work ethic is second to none,” Strickland said. “It’s nice to see them reach their dreams of playing college ball.”

Spring has high aspirations for the rest of his career.

“I’ll go to Coffeyville, play to get better, hopefully transfer to a Division I school, then get drafted in the minor league,” Spring said.

“Same idea for me,” Moore said. “But if it doesn’t work out, I want to stay around sports, maybe coaching.”