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Montague father, son eager for special baseball season together

Jeff Moss is in his first season as Wildcats’ head coach and son Nick is a senior standout.

NORTON SHORES — Jeff Moss has been coaching baseball for more than two decades.

This is his first season as Montague’s head varsity baseball coach, however, and it promises to be a special one. One reason is because his son, Nick, is a senior on the team.

Most recently, Jeff Moss assisted Kevin Buchberger for a handful of years, but Buchberger resigned following the 2022 season to pursue other interests. In nine seasons, Buchberger compiled a 193-114 overall record.

Last spring, Montague went 14-0 in the West Michigan Conference and 23-15 overall as the Wildcats won a Division 3 district title and advanced to the regional finals before dropping a 6-5 heartbreaker to Lansing Catholic.

Montague opened its 2023 season with a 7-0 loss to Mona Shores Wednesday, but the Mosses believe the young Wildcats have a lot of room for growth. They’re eager to share in the experience in Nick Moss’ last-hurrah season at the high school level, as he’ll be taking his talents to Lake Michigan College upon graduation.

“He reads me the best and he knows me the best and at the same time there’s things that we go home, we talk about, so that on the field we’re both on the same page. We think a lot alike and there’s a lot of things that we both agree on,” Nick Moss said.

“It’s definitely got its pros and cons, but I don’t mind it at all.”

Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark

Last season, Nick Moss led Montague with a .350 batting average, 42 hits, 39 stolen bases and 34 runs scored.

Moss played primarily second base in 2022, but he’s expected to man the shortstop position this season.

Jeff Moss, 52, is a 1988 Whitehall alumnus, who played baseball at Muskegon Community College. He is a self-employed contractor, which helps create for a flexible schedule.

“He’s at home all the time,” Nick Moss quipped with a chuckle as he patted his dad on the chest during their interview with CatchMark SportsNet on Wednesday.

The Mosses have the type of relationship where they can playfully trade barbs.

“I’m at home a lot. I do a lot of stuff from home,” Jeff Moss said. ” … I did my time on the floor. But, yeah, it allows me to do this passion that I’ve had for years and give back. I played at Muskegon Community and I wished I would have stuck with it, but I just wasn’t a school guy so I walked away from it.

“I think that’s probably why I put more into it now because I see it in the kids and I don’t want them to turn away from a game that is so fun.”

Lead writer for CatchMark SportsNet and Web Services leader for CatchMark Technologies.

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