Baseball: Nazareth senior David Cox is the 2024 Suburban Life Player of the Year

Nazareth senior David Cox battled hard on and off the field throughout his stellar career.

A standout right-handed pitcher and infielder, Cox dealt with several obstacles away from the diamond but always managed to turn a negative situation into a positive.

Cox said his ability to persevere through difficult times defined his career.

“I learned from my parents and my coach (Nazareth’s Lee Milano) that everything happens for a reason,” Cox said. “I even wrote it down on a card to look at it after I wake up. That’s how I start my day off. If something bad happens, it happened for a reason, so maybe something better will come now.”

Well, several better things did come for Cox in his senior season – on the mound, in the field, at the plate and in the Roadrunners’ win column.

For his outstanding season, Cox is the 2024 Suburban Life Baseball Player of the Year.

On a team filled with college-bound players, Cox shined the most by contributing in three phases of the game at an elite level.

Cox, a UIC recruit, batted .432 with 24 singles, 16 doubles and eight home runs. He finished with 49 RBIs and 34 runs scored.

On the mound, Cox was almost unhittable, tossing 43 2/3 innings and finishing with a 6-0 record, a save and 0.96 ERA.

Cox’s solid play at third base and ability to play several infield positions was another key to Nazareth’s 37-1 record and East Suburban Catholic Conference title.

“I was confident going into the season, but I didn’t expect my pitching to be that good,” Cox said. “I worked really hard on my hitting. I really didn’t worry about stats or anything going into the season. I wanted to enjoy my senior year with kids I’ve been playing with the past three years.”

Milano said Cox, whose fastball topped out at 94 mph, worked hard on all three parts of his game to reach his immense potential.

“This spring, in many aspects, David felt like he had to go off and really establish himself more,” Milano said. “We talked about not listening to the noise – sometimes David felt he didn’t get fair [coverage] by certain publications – so he felt he had to go out and prove that he was that good of a player.

“I’m so proud of him. He was in a great spot in many aspects before the season, so we talked about going out and having a good year. He did. David performed on the mound, on defense and at the plate.”

Cox’s career always hasn’t been so smooth.

Before he stepped onto the baseball field at Nazareth, Cox suffered a serious ankle injury during basketball season that limited him to one at-bat in his freshman season on the varsity.

“I wanted to be a two-sport athlete in high school,” Cox said. “I played basketball, but I fractured my ankle in February. That made me sit out the whole season except one at-bat. I went to every baseball game and that led to better friendships and a brotherhood on the baseball team. I also saw which people cared about me and wanted me to get better on the field.”

His one at-bat came in a memorable situation.

Milano tested his young and talented player by tossing him into a bases-loaded situation in a Class 3A sectional semifinal against Lemont.

Cox struck out on three pitches.

“David was able to come back for the playoffs, so I put him in during a tie game and figured if he didn’t succeed, it would be on me,” Milano said. “I knew David was a special talent, so I put him in as a pinch-hitter.”

Cox said his lone at-bat helped him during the Roadrunners’ run to back-to-back Class 3A state championships the next two seasons.

“I hadn’t taken a live at-bat in six months because of my ankle,” Cox said. “I’m grateful now for that [at-bat]. Coach gave me an opportunity. In that instant. It helped me when we had a playoff game in my sophomore year when we were down one or two runs just having remembered that feeling of pressure and not going to let it get to me this time.

“That three-pitch strikeout prepared me for every moment leading up to my last at-bat of my senior year.”

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Cox endured another growing moment before his senior season. He contracted mononucleosis last summer, causing him to lose nearly 30 pounds.

Cox, the 2024 East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year, had his career planned when he committed to play baseball for Northwestern in September 2022. The Wildcats fired baseball coach Jim Foster last summer, leading to Cox reopening his commitment because Northwestern’s coaches elected to alter their recruiting.

“I was committed for 18 months, but that really motivated and helped me to have the year I had,” Cox said. “It was rough, but the coach at UIC gave me an opportunity to play for him. They have a strong baseball culture at UIC. It worked out.”