Crystal Cox

Position:
P
Height:
5-7
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Harrisburg, N.C.
High School:
Central Cabarrus

Serves as a team captain, along with senior Ashley Allen • Majoring in communication studies with a focus on interpersonal communication

2005: As a junior, made a team-high 49 appearances, including 38 starts, and finished the season with a 22-20 record and a 1.68 ERA • Set school single-season records with 49 appearances, 32 complete games, 266.1 innings pitched, four saves and 325 strikeouts • Also added school career records with a .172 opponent batting average, 8.19 strikeouts per seven innings, seven saves and 871 strikeouts • Led the ACC in appearances, complete games and saves • Named second-team All-ACC • Earned ACC Player of the Week honors for the week of April 27 after recording four wins including all three wins in a series sweep at Maryland • Threw three no-hitters, including her first career perfect game at Elon on Feb. 23 • Also no-hit Furman on March 23 and Canisius on May 21 • Struck out a career-high 14 batters in a win over UNC Wilmington on April 20 • Recorded double-digit strikeouts on 13 different occasions • Received the Virginia Augusta Most Valuable Pitcher Award and the Donna J. Papa Coach's Award at the team's year-end banquet.

2004: As a sophomore, made a team-high 43 appearances and finished the season with a 23-15 record and a 1.64 ERA • Set school single-season records with 297 strikeouts and 31 complete games • Led the ACC in appearances and ranked second in innings pitched • Named to the All-NCAA Regional Team after throwing two outstanding games during UNC's postseason action in Waco, Texas • Against third-seeded Baylor, threw 15 shutout innings before giving up a run in the 16th in a 1-0 loss • In her next start, against Seton Hall, pitched 11 scoreless innings before giving up a run in the 12th for another 1-0 defeat • Threw two no-hitters, the third and fourth of her career • The first came against Central Florida on March 9 and the second was an eight-inning win over Marshall on March 17 • Struck out a career-high 14 batters at UNC Greensboro on April 15 • Totaled double-digit strikeouts on 11 other occasions.

2003: Had an outstanding freshman season, earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors • Named second-team All-Southeast Region • Ranked 20th in the NCAA rankings with 24 wins • Her ERA of 1.17 ranked 24th in the NCAA • Finished the season with 249 strikeouts, one shy of tying a school record • Saved three games to set a school single-season record • Made 43 appearances and 35 starts this season on the mound, both second on the UNC single-season charts • Ranked second in the ACC in wins and third in ERA, complete-game shutouts (seven) and strikeouts per game (7.85) • In conference games, led the ACC in strikeouts with 41 • Held opponents to a school-record .164 batting average • Named ACC Player of the Week twice during the season, on March 17 and April 21 • Struck out 10 or more batters on six occasions • Threw two no-hitters, against East Carolina on Feb. 12 and Radford on Feb. 25 • Struck out a career-high 13 in the no-hitter against East Carolina.

At Central Cabarrus High School in Concord, N.C.: Named North Carolina Softball Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior • During her four-year career, struck out 1,455 batters and threw 37 no hitters • Pitched 17 perfect games and had an ERA of 0.28 in her career • Set a national record with eight perfect games in senior season • Her school's Female Athlete of the Year as a senior • Led her team to two state titles, in her sophomore and junior seasons, and was named MVP both times • Named all-conference and conference Player of the Year all four seasons • Also played volleyball, earning All-Observer Player of the Year honors in her junior and senior seasons and team MVP honors as a senior.

Personal: Daughter of Linda and Carroll Cox • Born March 19, 1984, in Charlotte, N.C. • Has a younger brother, Joshua (11).

More on Cox: Favorite pastimes are surfing, juggling and playing tennis • Started playing softball at age 7 • Grabs the rosin and wipes it off before every pitch • Wears jersey No. 4 because "it's the best number in the world and the number I've had all my life and I thought I'd die without it" • Athletes she most admires are Lisa Fernandez, Michael Jordan and her little brother, Joshua • Lists "Where the Red Fern Grows" as her favorite book and "The O.C." as her favorite TV show • Is extremely claustrophobic.