Zach Cox lives on the diamond

Zack Cox’s love for baseball started long ago. “My dad took me out when I was 4 years old,” he said. “It’s been my love and passion ever since I picked up a bat.”

And when the right-handed boy first picked up that bat his dad made a decision that gave Cox an advantage.

“He picked up the bat like a right-handed batter and I switched it around and that’s how he started batting left-handed,” according to his dad, Jim Cox.

It not only got him a step closer to first base, it opened the door to a new way of life firmly rooted in baseball.

“He was always waiting at home with a bat, ball and glove when I got home from work and we’d go out and play,” said Jim, who played high school and some college ball and noted that even at a young age Zack had a great arm, good hand-eye coordination and his swing looked easy, natural and fluid.

Zack has been playing varsity high school baseball since seventh grade and playing with older kids has been a benefit to him, teaching him advanced skills and a mature approach to the game.

“The game has made me strong mentally. You’ve got to be focused and ready to play,” he said. “I pride myself on keeping my head on straight, keeping it together off the field to stay focused on the field.”

“There’s always adversity in this game,” he continued. “If you hit the ball three out of 10 times you’re considered good. There’s no other game where you can succeed 30 percent of the time and be considered a great player. There are struggles in being able to persevere and just being able to be yourself.”

After his freshman year the Cox family moved from the small town of Campbellsville to Louisville where Zack would attend Pleasure Park Ridge High School. The move brought with it a degree of self-doubt for him. “I lived in a small place and just didn’t know if I could keep up the big boys,” he said. But that soon changed. “When I got to play I realized that I’m just as good as any player around. I proved it to myself and everyone else.”

At 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, the third baseman has the ability to hit with power to all fields.

“For a long time I’ve been able to hit the ball with force,” Zack said. “Hitting has always been my thing.”

That power developed with relentless training, including getting up at 5:30 a.m. in the winter for weight training before school and conditioning with the team after school, followed by hitting, fielding and flexibility training.

And that hard work pays off. Last season he hit .524 with 58 runs and 57 RBI leading PRP to the state semifinals. He made the All-State Team his sophomore and junior years and the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association named him the 2007 Regional Baseball Player of the Year for the 6th Region.

Zack’s strong work ethic has made him a leader among his teammates as well as a leader in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. “My walk with Christ is something I definitely pride myself in,” he said. And he doesn’t want to waste the talent he’s blessed with.

“I’ve always worked as hard as I possibly could and got the most out of my ability,” he said. “I will never let someone else outwork me.”

He proved that with a strong showing at the East Coast Professional Showcase last summer in Lakeland, Fla., in front of 300 scouts and coaches.

He caught notice from University of Arkansas and will be going there in the fall. In addition to a top-notch coaching staff, Zack told his dad that although kids from his high school had moved up through Kentucky and Mississippi, no one had gone to Arkansas and that was appealing. But most importantly, Zack said it was a good fit. “I fell in love with it when I went there. Sometimes you get a feeling inside that ‘That’s the place for me’ and that’s how I felt.”