by Wayland D. Clark
Dripping Springs sophomore softball pitcher Jordan Cox (16-3) has 174 strikeouts in 115.2 innings and has been phenomenal this season. But don’t tell her that, because she may not want to hear it. Cox said it’s not about the strikeouts, it’s about keeping the opponent scoreless.
“Ground out, fly out, it doesn’t matter as long as we get out of the inning and get some hits and runs,” she said after a 16-1 win over Seguin on April 20.
Cox has pitched 17 complete games and given up only 74 hits with 21 walks and 4 home runs, and out of 1,780 pitches she’s hit 3 batters and thrown 6 wild pitches. “She is able to place the ball where we ask her to with such accuracy and get a hitter to chase a pitch off the plate, and that’s why she has more strikeouts than we anticipated this year,” said Paige Sandahl, assistant coach, after the final home game of the regular season. “It’s exciting to think we can have her for two more years.”
“I just hang with my teammates, play the game and love it,” said Cox who has an incredible 1.09 ERA, and has only given up 4 home runs. “What makes it even more fun is she’s doing so well and I don’t think she even knows how well she’s doing,” Sandahl said.
Cox slams the ball into her glove before each pitch. “I’m working on my snap for whatever pitch Coach Sandahl calls for but my go to pitch now is the curve ball,” she said.
“She just shows up and competes,” Sandahl said. “We’re a young team and I don’t think we’ve played our best game yet.” Dripping Springs will face Leander Glenn in a bi-district playoff game Thursday, April 29 at a location yet to be determined.
