Cox Excited To Be Part Of Blue-Collar Mentality At Indiana State

Carson Cox 3B / 1B / Dublin Coffman , OH / 2024

DUBLIN - Carson Cox is thrilled to have the opportunity to do what his father did - play Division I college baseball.

The Dublin Coffman senior is headed to Indiana State after a recent commitment to the university located in Terre Haute.

“Since I was young college baseball was always something I was working toward,” Cox reflected. “The dream was to follow in my dad’s footsteps. He played at Ohio State and was a pitcher. He coached me and instilled the importance of having confidence in yourself. He also taught the mindset about sequence. Having him as a reference was big in learning the mental side of baseball.”

It proved beneficial in helping the sixth-rated 2024 third baseman in the state get noticed. 

“My parents were adamant about not turning down any opportunities,” Cox explained. “I gave everyone looks, from MAC schools to Division III schools, all across the board. But my dream was to play Division I.”

That became a reality after a big summer with his travel team.

“Indiana State saw me a lot playing with Bo Jackson in tournaments,” Cox noted. “Conversations started after the PBR 17U National Championships.”

A visit followed at the school located 31/2 hours from home.

“I love the guys, the coaches are awesome and the facilities are great,” Cox said. “When talking to the guys and watching practice, they’re hard-working, blue-collar guys that love to compete. That sold it for me with how much they loved it. It was everything I was looking for in a program.”

Indiana State found plenty to admire about the 118th-ranked senior in Ohio.

“The main thing was my bat,” Cox related. “One thing about me that most schools liked is my power and hit ability. Also in talking to them, they like my leadership qualities. My coach, Brian Mannino, reached out to them and told them about the type of leader I am.”

There was additional assistance Cox received in a “pretty stressful” recruiting process.

“I talked to Jordan (Chiero, PBR Ohio Director of Scouting) to ask about recruiting and what I should do,” Cox noted. “He said to send out emails to get my recruitment started. He said to ease my process, understand the recruiting timeline and to go through the top-ranked guys at your position. He said they will need to see me play.

“Being on Bo Jackson with Cory Valentine and Woody Wallace was huge with them putting me in front of college coaches. They put me in position to show off my skills to get where I am today. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. Cory knew my bat was the big thing at the next level, so he worked me at as many positions - third base, first base, outfield - as he could so position versatility would help get me in a lineup.”

High School baseball coach Drew Kirby and high school football coach Geron Stokes are also credited by Cox with helping the cause.

“He taught me so many things outside of baseball,” Cox said of Kirby. “Coach Stokes has made the biggest impact in my life as far as being who I am and being able to overcome adversity and make me mentally a completely different person than who I was before I met him. I can’t thank him enough as he has truly changed the path of my life.”

The desire to improve also aided the quest to play at the next level for Cox, who turned 18 on Sept. 17.

“I did a lot of offseason work,” Cox noted. “My bat has always been my thing, but I think I improved my defensive ability, my speed and my agility. I was 7.8 at my first PBR freshman year and now I’m 7.0-7.1. My defensive growth has helped me become more of a well-rounded player.”

It all added up to an offer and commitment from the Missouri Valley Conference university.

“What an awesome feeling,” Cox said of knowing where his future home in college will be. “I felt a huge weight off my shoulders. I’d always seen my dad as the standard and to see my hard work pay off … I feel gratitude and appreciation to all the people that helped me out along the way.”

A major in business is the plan for Cox, a 4.1 student looking forward to being a Division I baseball player, just like his father was at Ohio State from 1997-2001.

“I’m super excited to be part of a college program,” Cox concluded. “To meet the team and see the team culture with how the guys interact with each other really drew me in. That hard-working environment with guys that just want to win, I’m excited to be part of that.”