BLUEFIELD, WV (WOAY) – According to Baseball America, only six players from the Bahamas have gone on to compete in the MLB. But the baseball community continues to grow there, and that impact is even felt in Bluefield, West Virginia.
So how did the Nassau-born Kevon Moxey end up picking Bluefield State to continue his baseball career?
“That would be a better question for my brother to answer. He came here and I followed suit,” said Moxey, a senior first baseman with the team.
Since joining the Big Blue in 2017, Moxey has become of the team’s key leaders. He’s also become an unofficial recruiter, helping convince a childhood friend to join BSC from another program.
“I was like hey, I’m looking for somewhere to go. There’s guys from the Bahamas there so why not?” explained junior infielder C.J. Cooper.
The pipeline doesn’t end there. Trae Fowler grew up playing in the same youth league as Moxey and Cooper.
“CJ recruited me in 2019 in November. He told me about the opportunity to go and I just took it,” said Fowler, now a sophomore utility.
Like any college student living far from home, it took time for Fowler to adjust to his new surroundings.
“The biggest adjustment, I’d say is just getting comfortable and getting to be myself,” he said.
But being yourself gets a little easier when you have teammates who’ve walked in the same shoes.
“It’s kind of good to have fellow Bohemians to be in college with me. It makes the experience that much easier,” said Fowler.
Even though Moxey has grown to love Southern West Virginia over the past four years, there’s still a couple of things he misses most about the Bahamas.
“I’d say the food and the beaches.”