NU’s athletic family comes together to make Ace’s Place come to life after tragic death of Moudys’ son | Softball

Ace Michael Moudy was 19 months old when he played in the grass behind the left-field line at Bowlin Stadium during a Husker softball game.

That night, Ace tragically passed away, forever changing the lives of his parents Mike and Megan, who are former Nebraska athletes — Megan a softball player and Mike a football player.

But the Moudy’s Husker family came to their support and thanks to many generous donations, including a big one that got things over the finish line, Ace will continue to have a presence at Husker softball games going forward.

Before Saturday’s Nebraska-Minnesota game, the Huskers officially unveiled Ace’s Place, a beautiful covered playground that was built on the Bowlin Stadium concourse behind left field.

One of the first kids to play on it Saturday was JJ, Ace’s 21-month-old brother.

“He already licked the playground, so it’s already broken in and ready to go,” Megan Moudy said. “It’s really exciting to have a place kind of explain (Ace’s) last day and it’s really special to have something they can always go to.”

After Ace passed away in April of 2019, the Moudys and those close to them wanted to do something to honor Ace. Among them was Mattie Fowler, a former teammate of Megan’s at Nebraska.

The idea was to build a playground at Bowlin Stadium that would be funded through private donations. The $75,000 project raised $50,000 but then stalled when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

But a large donation from donor Jim Sizemore “took us to the mountain top,” NU softball coach Rhonda Revelle said.

That green-lit Crouch Recreation, led by former Husker quarterback great Eric Crouch, to design and build the playground, which is decked in red and white.

“I was just happy that they reached out to me,” said Crouch, who attended Saturday’s ribbon-cutting along with Revelle, athletic director Trev Alberts and UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green. “Just to be able to help them fight through a time and honor their son Ace, I’m just honored to be a part of it.”

The playground was put together in late fall, with the help of the Nebraska softball team.

The vision of the playground was to create a place where families and children can come together and create their own memories, Mike Moudy said — just like the ones the Moudy created on the third-base side of the stadium three years ago.

“This playground is built upon taking in the sights, smells and sounds of his very first Nebraska softball game,” said Mike Moudy, who played football at NU from 2010-14. “It was truly the best day that we shared as a family, and I know that Megan and I hold those memories closely. And we think about that day often.”

The journey to Ace’s Place wouldn’t have been possible without the family values of Husker athletics, Megan Moudy said.

“I hadn’t even talked to the coaches for a while and then just coming back and they really just embraced us during a really hard time,” she said. “It just made things easier and comforting just knowing there are others who are just really supporting.”