Auburn Sophomore Blasts Home Run Just Hours After Losing His Mom To Cancer

A special moment unfolded as an Auburn outfielder blasted the team's first home run of the season — just hours after his mother died of cancer.

Sophomore Cade Belyeu lost his mom, Staci, on Friday morning. It would have been completely understandable if he chose to skip the Tigers' game that evening against Holy Cross, but Cade wanted to go ahead and play. Head coach Butch Thompson called his father, Roger, to confirm.

"About 10:30 I was wrestling, sitting here trying to figure out," Thompson told 1819 News. "'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."

In front of a sold out crowd of 5,718, Cade’s teammates joined him in showing respect for his mom with a moment of silence before first pitch.

Later, in the sixth inning, Belyeu stepped up to the plate and blasted a solo home run to right-center field — for his mom. The crowd erupted as he rounded the bases.

"One of the most inspiring things I have seen in 32 years," Thompson said after the game. "That is the storyline of this ball game, regardless of outcome or result. Staci wanted her son to play. I didn’t know how it would go, but he played an amazing game. It was pretty incredible." 

Auburn went on to win the game, 4-1.

Belyeu is no stranger to the long ball, by the way. He ended his freshman season last May by homering in each of his final four conference games, becoming the first player to homer in four straight SEC games since 2008. He then hit five more home runs in 10 games with the Charlottesville Tom Sox of the Valley League over the summer.

But none were quite as special as the home run he hit on Friday night.

"He's caring in the locker room and works his butt off every day," teammate and junior second baseman Eric Snow said. "That was literally the best thing I've ever seen."