Just one of the many reasons why sports are simply the best.
Sophomore center fielder Cade Belyeu, who plays for the Auburn Tigers college baseball team, experienced both tragedy and triumph last Friday. Shortly after 7 a.m., Belyeu made the incredibly challenging call to his coach Butch Thompson letting him know that his mother, Staci, had just passed away following a battle with cancer.
The Tigers sent out a post honoring Staci Belyeu offering their thoughts and prayers to the family:
Playing with heavy hearts.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Cade Belyeu and his family during this very difficult time. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/RlMuwMK8Uz
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) February 14, 2025
Later that same day, the Auburn Tigers were set to play their season opener against Holy Cross.
No one would have blamed Cade if he had decided to step away from the game to mourn his mom. However, Belyeu insisted that, despite the devastating loss of his mother, he wanted to play in the game that same day. Tigers coach Butch Thompson admired the young man’s spirit, but he himself wasn’t sure that would be the best idea. He even followed up with Belyeu’s father to talk more about the situation, as he told 1819 news:
“About 10:30 I was wrestling, sitting here trying to figure out, ‘He wants to play. Is he really going to play?’ So I called his dad and said, ‘I’m the coach and you’re the father. What do you want? I yield to you.’ And he said Staci wanted him to play.”
So Cade Belyeu honored his mother’s wishes and suited up with his Tigers team for their season opener against Holy Cross. Auburn recognized the Belyeu family prior to the sold-out game at Plainsman Park, and honored Staci with a moment of silence before the competition got started.
In Cade’s first at bat, he slapped a single out into left field. Even getting a hit on a day like that is massive, but when the bottom of the sixth inning rolled around and Belyeu was back up to bat, something truly special happened.
It’s one of those unexplainably special moments that only sports can provide:
Can't make this stuff up.
Cade sends one outta here for Staci!
B6 | AU 3, HC 1 pic.twitter.com/F2kYYDp6xa
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) February 15, 2025
That smooth-yet-powerful swing from Cade was enough to send the ball over the outfield fence, and the crowd of 5,718 roared in support of the young man who had somehow managed to muster enough focus and strength to hit a home run on the same day his mother had lost her battle with cancer.
As head coach Butch Thompson put it, the homer was an example of the “bigger than the game” moments that sports can often provide:
“I think it was the most inspiring thing we’ve ever seen. The crowd, our crowd is just amazing. They absolutely sensed what was going on with him and the ovation for him. The home run, that’s just how amazing things happen through this game.
We want to honor her and I know Cade played for his mom today. That was the number one thing that happened tonight. Some things are bigger than ball. This was one of those moments.”
The Tigers went on to win the game 4-1, and you can view the moving tribute the Auburn Tigers video team put together below:
The post Auburn Baseball Player Hits Home Run Hours After Losing His Mother To Cancer: “Most Inspiring Thing I’ve Ever Seen In 32 Years Of Coaching” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.