Trenton Moses suffered through a lost 2010 baseball season that ended prematurely with shoulder surgery and had him doubting whether he would be able to make it back.

"The summer was pretty tough," said Moses, Southeast Missouri State's junior corner infielder. "I rehabbed pretty hard, but there was a lot of pain. You work for it, but you get to the point where you don't know if you'll play again."

Moses, a graduate of nearby Advance High School, avoided those negative thoughts as much as possible. He kept pushing and pushing, the hard work resulting in a clean bill of health and an impressive start to this season.

Moses is the Redhawks' leading hitter among players with at least 15 at-bats. His .354 average ranked 12th in the Ohio Valley Conference entering the weekend. He is tied for the team lead with two home runs while adding five doubles, a triple and nine RBIs.

"He's playing real well for us offensively and defensively," said Southeast coach Mark Hogan, whose squad had Saturday's scheduled OVC-opening home doubleheader against Morehead State rained out. "It was a tough deal for him last year, but he worked really hard and it's great to have him back."

Southeast Missouri State's Trenton Moses singles against North Dakota during a game earlier this month at Capaha Field. (Fred Lynch)

Moses said it's great to be back.

"I'm just happy to be playing again. It's amazing," he said.

What's also amazing to Moses is how he hurt the shoulder. It wasn't while throwing. It happened after he had reached first base during a game early last season.

"I dove back into first base on a pickoff. It was the fourth game, at home against IPFW. I remember it like it was yesterday," Moses said. "It was a freak accident. Who would have thought that? It hurt, but I finished the game [at third base].

"It was kind of sore, but I didn't think that much of it. The next day I could hardly raise my arm over my head."

Results of medical exams showed a torn labrum, which ended Moses' season. He had surgery in early April.

"They said it was torn in like three spots," Moses said. "It was real frustrating, having to just sit out and watch. I felt like I could really help the team."

Moses supported his teammates from the bench as he remained part of the squad. He underwent plenty of strenuous rehabilitation but had to display patience since he wasn't cleared to start throwing again until August.

"I didn't get to do anything over the summer, just a lot of strength training with my shoulder," said Moses, who received a medical redshirt so he did not lose a year of eligibility. "I couldn't do a whole lot of cardio because the doctor didn't want me running. I guess they thought it would jar the shoulder."

Moses credits Matt Holder, a trainer at Mid America Rehab, for helping nurture him back to health.

"He pushed me hard," Moses said. "I really don't think I'd be playing if he hadn't pushed me all summer."

Moses said the doubts he had of making it back started to disappear in the fall.

"I still wasn't cleared to do everything, but as soon as fall practice started, my shoulder felt great," Moses said. "I had a good fall. I thought there was no reason I couldn't come back better than I was."

Moses, who said his shoulder "hasn't felt this good since I was in high school," has come back better than he was.

Moses, a full-time starter at third base during his freshman and sophomore seasons, entered this year with a .261 career batting average for the Redhawks.

His current .354 mark has been constructed despite an 0 for 14 start.

"I've felt great all season at the plate. Just early on I wasn't finding many holes, but I just tried not to get too down," said Moses, voted to the OVC all-newcomer team as a freshman in 2008. "Coach really believed in me that I could still do it. He's seen what I can do. He knows I can play."

Moses, solid if not spectacular offensively during his first two full college seasons, made his mark as one of the OVC's premier defensive third basemen.

That's despite being primarily a first baseman in high school, a position the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Moses also has played quite a bit this year.

"He's real valuable for us. He's done a great job either place," Hogan said. "He's a big guy, but I compare him to a cat. He moves well. I'm excited what he's doing.

"He came to us as a first baseman, but I liked his feet and I thought he could play third base."

Moses, who has made just one error while splitting time at the corners, is glad to help the Redhawks any way he can.

"That [first base] was mainly my position in high school," Moses said. "At first it was kind of weird being back there again because the ball comes off the bat quite a bit different. I had to get used to it again."

Moses recovered from his slow start at the plate in a big way, including a monster three-game series against North Dakota from March 11 through 13 that resulted in him winning the OVC player of the week award.

Moses went 11 for 14 in the series, a .786 mark, capped by a 5 for 5 performance in the final contest that pushed his average to .415.

Despite cooling off a bit since then, Moses has continued to perform well. That he gets to do it in front of so many familiar faces is a special bonus.

"That's the best part," Moses said about playing college baseball close to where he grew up. "I have a lot of family that always comes watch me. There's nothing like playing in front of family and friends."

And there's nothing like being back on the field again.

"There's no better feeling," Moses said.