Greensboro’s Cheyanne Cox(Southern Alamance HS) Named USA South Softball Pitcher of the Week for the Third Time in 2021

ROME, Ga.—After posting three double-digit strikeout performances over the past week, Greensboro College’s Cheyanne Cox (Burlington, N.C./Southern Alamance) garnered USA South Athletic Conference (USA South) Softball Pitcher of the Week honors as announced by the USA South office earlier today.

The junior began the week with three consecutive outings of ten or more strikeouts, beginning with a career-high effort at Methodist University March 17 when she posted 14 strikeouts in game one of the Pride’s USA South doubleheader with the Monarchs. One-hitting the Monarchs on their home field in conference competition on Wednesday, she pitched another one-hitter against Methodist in a non-conference contest at home Saturday, March 20 where she posted 13 strikeouts as the Pride defeated Methodist, 11-0, in five innings. The effort was Cox’s third complete-game shutout of the season.

Cox’s dominance would continue to Sunday where she earned a combined shutout against Ferrum in a six-inning performance in game one. The junior tossed eleven strikeouts in a two-hit effort against the Panthers where Ferrum runners only reached second base twice against the Pride’s starting pitcher. Cox started game two of the doubleheader with Ferrum, throwing the first four innings where she struck out four batters. She would return to the contest for the final one and two-third innings to stop the Ferrum rally, posting four strikeouts in the final stage of her game-two appearance.

The junior starting pitcher’s performance has vaulted her up to the top of the USA South’s statistical leaders. Cox holds the conference’s strikeout lead (80) by 25 strikeouts while leading the conference in wins (9). Her 1.06 earned-run average stands second in the USA south, just .06 behind the league’s leader. Cox’s 59 and two-third innings is the second-most innings pitched in the conference while her earned runs surrendered (9) is the third-lowest total in the league among pitchers with twenty or more innings pitched. Cox’s five complete-games stands third in the league.

The honor is the third for Cox this season. She won the league’s first two honors for 2021 on February 22 and March 1.

The Pride are coming off a 5-1 week as Greensboro’s 14-4 overall record is the best start to their season in over a decade. Greensboro has earned at least a split of every doubleheader this season but one and currently boasts the best overall record in the entire USA South.

Coach Teresa Fister’s Pride returns to the field Wednesday, traveling to Ferrum College for a 4 p.m. doubleheader.

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Courtesy of Bryan Jones, Greensboro College Sports Information Director