Opening day for the 2025 Auburn baseball Tigers carried a different tone than years past. While the excitement of a new season and a newly renovated Plainsman Park filled the air, sophomore outfielder Cade Belyeu stepped onto the field with a heavy heart.
Earlier that morning, Belyeu learned his mother, Staci Hise Belyeu, had passed away after a battle with cancer.
“He called me at 7:16 [a.m.] and told me his mom had passed,” Auburn Head Coach Butch Thompson said. “Ben Schorr is on our team, and we lost his dad. That’s two since I have been at Auburn and maybe three or four in 32 years of coaching. He said his mom, Staci, wanted him to play.”
Despite the loss, Belyeu honored his mother’s wishes. In the sixth inning, he launched a solo home run over the right-field wall, creating a moment that left his teammates, coaches and the Auburn faithful in awe.
“I think it was the most inspiring thing we’ve ever seen,” Thompson said. “Our crowd was just amazing. They absolutely sensed and knew what was going on with him. The ovation for him, the home run—that’s just how amazing things happen through this game.”
Senior catcher Eric Snow was among those left speechless.
“I think I said it 1,000 times, that was literally the best thing I’ve ever seen in baseball,” Snow said. “It means more when the kid’s loving and caring in the locker room and works his butt off every day. That was literally the best thing I’ve ever seen.”
Carson Myers echoed the sentiment.
“I can’t say it much better than that,” Myers said. “Cade is an awesome human being. To be able to do that tonight for his mom, that’s just something you don’t see.”
Thompson admitted he was unsure if Belyeu would actually play.
“About 10:30 I was wrestling, trying to figure out, ‘He wants to play, but is he really going to play?’” Thompson said. “I called his dad [Roger] and said, ‘I’m the coach, but you’re the father. What do you want? I yield to you.’ He said Staci wanted him to play. I told him, ‘I’ll leave that to you, but if he comes up to me before the game, I’ll pull him. If he comes to me in the first inning, the fifth inning, the seventh inning, I’ll take him out.’”
The loss of his mother was a devastating blow, but those close to Belyeu knew how strong of a bond he shared with her. Staci was his biggest supporter, always in the stands cheering him on. She had battled to be there for his biggest moments, even making the effort to attend Auburn’s preseason banquet just days before her passing.
“She did everything she could to get out of MD Anderson a week or so ago to make it to our banquet,” Thompson said. “That was her intention and she had been announcing that for over a month. We achieved that milestone. It was kind of heartbreaking to get that call this morning.”
The emotions of the night culminated as Belyeu rounded the bases, looking up toward the sky. The crowd at Plainsman Park, already the largest in stadium history, erupted in support, fully aware of the significance of the moment.
On this night, it wasn’t about the score. It was about Cade Belyeu honoring his mother in the best way he knew how—by playing the game they both loved.
“We want to honor her, and I know Cade played for his mom today,” Thompson said. “That was the number one thing that happened tonight. Some things are bigger than ball. This was one of those moments.”
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
