photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Free State third baseman Finn Moore yells as the Firebirds take down Shawnee Mission West to win the state championship on Friday, May 30, 2025, at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence.

There were a lot of emotions Finn Moore felt as he came to the decision to commit to play baseball for Air Force — excitement for his future, peace with his decision and love from his family.

Above all, Moore felt pride — not just in securing his baseball future, but for committing to a service academy once he finishes high school.

“It was a lot of pride — we felt really proud,” Moore said. “My family has a little bit of a military background already, so being able to carry that on was pretty important.”

Moore had been in talks with a few colleges about playing baseball, but Air Force was the team he spoke with the most, starting just before Thanksgiving. That led to a visit, which Moore loved because of how the coaching staff didn’t focus on the baseball side of things.

“The whole thing was, it wasn’t really about baseball,it was about being a good person,” Moore said. “All the morals: my family, friends, coaches… it just felt right.”

Moore, a junior, made his commitment a few weeks later. After having always thought about joining a service academy, speaking with the Air Force team about it gave him the confidence that it was what he wanted to do.

“I talked a lot with my family, and that was what really helped me know it was right,” Moore said. “I wasn’t really worried about committing a certain time or anything like that. It was just whenever it felt right, I was ready to go.”

Air Force called Moore looking for a power hitting third baseman. That’s something he’s shown a lot of in his time at Free State, and Moore is confident he can make an impact on the team in that role. Moore has spent a lot of time working out in the gym and the batting cages with the intent of playing baseball at a high level.

When Moore isn’t on the diamond, he is the quarterback of the Free State football team. Taking on that new role and playing both ends of the field were challenges that Moore grew as an athlete from.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Free State junior Finn Moore releases a pass against Shawnee Mission Northwest at Shawnee Mission District Stadium, North Location, on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 in Overland Park.

“It’s definitely helped me to stay tough mentally,” Moore said. “We didn’t have very much depth and being able to battle all the little problems we had, and it just helped me have a lot of mental toughness and physical toughness.”

Toughness and discipline is something he expects to be around at Air Force. But Moore’s time at Free State has helped prepare him for it.

“With (Free State baseball) coach (Mike) Hill, it’s obviously a lot of discipline — there’s a set of rules that you know you need to follow,” Moore said. “I feel like at a place like Air Force, that’s the sort of thing you’re going to get no matter what.”

One of the perks of being at Air Force is that he will be a lot closer to his brother. Parker Moore is a freshman linebacker at the University of Wyoming. The two grew up competing and playing sports together in the driveway, and now, the two Moores are Division I athletes.

“It’s been a long time coming, ever since I was really young, I was playing wiffle ball and driveway with my brothers (Alex and Parker),” Moore said. “It’s always been Parker always wanting to play college football and baseball has kind of always been what I’ve wanted to do.

“I think I’d give anything to go back and do all that again. It was kind of the best time ever. Whenever he’s home, we kind of talk about that sort of thing all the time, just how much fun we’ve had growing up together.”

Moore still has two years left with Free State’s baseball team, and one more season with the football team. He’s hoping to finish his career on a high note both with accomplishments on the field and with his teammates in the clubhouse.

“Honestly, I’m just looking forward to taking everything in with my guys,” Moore said. “I’ve been around them my whole life, and there’s nothing I could wish for more than just as much time with them, which to me, really means just winning as much as we can so that our seasons go longer.”