Michelle Cox

Born in Sydney and raised in Belrose, New South Wales, Cox graduated from Roseville College in 2009.{{cite news|last=Simons |first=Polly |url=http://northside.whereilive.com.au/news/story/australian-softball-champ/ |title=Australian Softball Champ – News – News – Northside |publisher=Northside.whereilive.com.au |date=15 March 2012 |access-date=2012-03-24}} Her brother, Tim Cox, played baseball professionally for the Boston Red Sox's farm system. She started playing baseball when she was seven years old because her brother was involved with the sport. She played several sports while in secondary school, including touch football, netball and athletics.

File:Aus v Jap test 1 169.JPG

Cox is a right field outfielder,{{cite news|author=Spartan Daily |url=http://spartandaily.com/67333/softball-team-falls-to-sacramento-state-8-2 |title=Softball team handled by Sacramento State in mid-week matchup |publisher=Spartan Daily |access-date=2012-03-06}}{{cite news|author=Spartan Daily|url=http://spartandaily.com/67838/spartans-beat-broncos-to-end-weekend-series |title=SJSU women's softball team defeats Santa Clara with help from pitching |publisher=Spartan Daily |access-date=2012-03-06}} who first started playing softball in 2003. In 2009, she played for an Australian Institute of Sport team.{{cite news|access-date=7 March 2012|title=Weaver out on high note|newspaper=The Northern Times|location=Brisbane|date=27 February 2009|first=Andre|last=Grimaux|page=64|id=TNT_T-20090227-1-064-931013|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AUNB:QGCBQ&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=126ADFC84D3A46B8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggdocs&req_dat=1053B823C33F21F9}} She started playing elite level softball in 2003 with a club in Manly Warringah where she was coached by Angela Knight.{{cite news|title=Cox's goal within striking distance|newspaper=Manly Daily|location=Sydney, Australia|date=19 May 2009|first=Andrew|last=Prentice|page=30|id=MAN_T-20090519-1-030-046030|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AUNB:ACGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=12845E94A79671F8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=1053B823C33F21F9|access-date=12 March 2012}} Playing for her secondary school side, her team came in first at the Independent Girls' School Sport Association Championships.

2006 was the first time Cox was called up to represent New South Wales on their U16 side. She got the call up in October{{Cite news|access-date=12 March 2012|title=Talent with bat and baseball mitt|newspaper=Manly Daily|location=Sydney, Australia|date=31 October 2006|page=38|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AUNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%201151D9059024D000%20%29&p_docid=1151D9059024D000&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=1151D9059024D000&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=F65B53IOMTMzNTEzMDAyMC44Njg1NzI6MTo1OjE5Mzg1&&p_multi=ACGB}} and played with the team.{{cite news|access-date=7 March 2012|title=Talent with bat and baseball mitt|newspaper=Manly Daily|location=Sydney, Australia|date=31 October 2006|page=38|id=MAN_T-20061031-1-038-584311|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AUNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%201151D9059024D000%20%29&p_docid=1151D9059024D000&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=1151D9059024D000&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=F65B53IOMTMzNTEzMDAyMC44Njg1NzI6MTo1OjE5Mzg1&&p_multi=ACGB}} She represented the state at the national championships in 2007. In 2009, she was playing club softball in the Manly-Warringah Softball Association.

file:Michelle Cox at bat for San Jose State.JPG

Cox signed with San Jose State University in San Jose, California in the US on 27 April 2011, then played for the San Jose State Spartans from 2012 to 2015; she majored in business administration with a concentration on accounting.{{cite web|title=Michelle Cox|url=http://www.sjsuspartans.com/sports/w-softbl/mtt/michelle_cox_846121.html|publisher=San Jose State Spartans|access-date=9 May 2015}}{{cite web|title=Softball Signs Australian National Team Player|url=http://www.sjsuspartans.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/042711aaa.html|publisher=San Jose State University|access-date=9 May 2015|date=27 April 2011}}

Cox led San Jose State in hitting in her first season in 2012, with a .366 batting average, 60 hits, and 3 triples. She also had 26 stolen bases. In February 2012 against Sacramento State, she hit a triple and notched her 11th run of the season. In March 2012, in a game against Santa Clara, Cox went two for three at the plate. She scored three runs in the game. At the end of the game, her batting average was close to .400. That month, she was one of several women nominated for Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Hitter of the Week.{{cite news|url=http://www.ktvn.com/story/17086983/pack-softballs-butera |title=Pack Softball's Butera W.A.C. Hitter of the Week – KTVN Channel 2 – Reno Tahoe News Weather, Video |publisher=Ktvn.com |date=22 February 2012 |access-date=2012-03-06}} Cox received second-team All-WAC honors.

As a sophomore in 2013, Cox again had the top batting average (.363) for San Jose State, in addition to a team-leading 66 hits and 20 stolen bases. Cox scored 39 runs with 22 RBI. Cox earned first-team All-WAC and Academic All-WAC honors.{{cite web|url=http://www.sjsuspartans.com/sports/w-softbl/mtt/michelle_cox_846121.html|title=Michelle Cox|publisher=San Jose State Spartans|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313041129/http://www.sjsuspartans.com/sports/w-softbl/mtt/michelle_cox_846121.html|year=2014|archive-date=13 March 2014 }} San Jose State won both the WAC regular season and tournament and made the 2013 NCAA Tournament by virtue of winning the WAC tournament.

In 2014, her junior season and San Jose State's first season in the Mountain West Conference (MWC), Cox had a batting average of .342, the second most on the team. In MWC play, Cox led San Jose State in runs scored with 17. Cox was a CoSIDA Academic All-American District VIII selection.

Cox hit a career-high .419 in her senior season 2015. She scored 58 runs with 13 RBI.{{cite web|title=San Jose State Softball Season Statistics|url=http://www.sjsuspartans.com/sports/w-softbl/stats/2014-2015/teamcume.html|publisher=San Jose State Spartans|access-date=9 May 2015}}

{{Wikinews|Japan beats Aussie Spirit in first two games of series}}

As en eighteen-year-old, Cox made her national team debut in April 2009 at the International Southern Challenge in New Zealand, after getting her first call up in March. At the April competition against New Zealand, she had three hits, one of which was a home run. In June 2009, she was with the team when they competed in the Japan Cup. Prior to that, in March 2009, she participated in a Brisbane-based training camp with the national team. 2009 was also the first year she earned a softball scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport. She is a member of the 2012 Australia women's national softball team. She is trying to make the squad that will compete at the 2012 ISF XIII Women's World Championships .{{cite web|access-date=6 March 2012 |publisher=Softball Australia |location=Australia |date=24 February 2012 |title=Australian Open Women's Squad 2012 |url=http://www.softball.org.au/extra.asp?ID=22086 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319021011/http://www.softball.org.au/extra.asp?ID=22086 |archive-date=19 March 2012 }}

In 2018, Cox joined National Pro Fastpitch expansion team Aussie Spirit.{{cite web | url=https://npf.805stats.com/player.php?id=24266 | title=Player statistics - Michelle Cox}}

Cox was selected for the Australian women's national softball team at the 2020 Summer Olympics.{{Cite web |last=Colangelo |first=Anthony |date=2021-05-30 |title='Not a sacrifice:' Long bubble stay in Japan no worry for softballers |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/not-a-sacrifice-long-bubble-stay-in-japan-no-worry-for-softballers-20210530-p57wfo.html |access-date=2021-07-11 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}} The team came away with one win out of five, beating Italy 1–0 in their second match of the Round Robin and finished fifth overall.{{Cite web |title=Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021 |url=https://www.theroar.com.au/olympics/australian-olympic-team/ |access-date=2022-03-21 |website=The Roar |language=en-US}} Full details are in Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

{{Commons category|Michelle Cox}}

{{reflist}}

{{Australia Women National Softball Team - 2012}}

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Category:1991 births

Category:Living people

Category:Australian softball players

Category:Competitors at the 2022 World Games

Category:Sportswomen from New South Wales

Category:Softball players from Sydney

Category:San Jose State Spartans softball players

Category:Olympic softball players for Australia

Category:Softball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics

Category:Australian expatriate sportspeople in the United States

Category:21st-century Australian sportswomen