Toutle Lake pitcher Jackson Cox, a high-round MLB Draft prospect, has become appointment viewing
VANCOUVER, Wash. — The clouds have hardly parted for Jackson Cox's senior high school baseball season at Toutle Lake, but rainouts, field flooding and the wettest April on record haven't slowed his ability to be dominant.
The Oregon signee started to attract a crowd at each start as a junior during the COVID-shortened 2021 season, and has trended into multiple projections in first three rounds of the 2022 MLB Draft in June.
On Saturday, he made quick work during a downpour. He struck out 11 of 19 batters in five innings and allowed three hits in a complete game shutout. 51 of his 60 pitches were for strike.
That's par for the course this season for Cox, who is one of the top projected high school prospects out of the state of Washington this year. Bainbridge pitcher Ian "JR" Ritchie has been projected as high as the first round and Jackson third baseman Dominic Hellman, also an Oregon commit has popped up high on mock drafts.
The Ducks (19-1, 15-0) forced 10-run forfeit in five innings to cement an 11-0 win over Onalaska (7-10, 6-8) in the second of a 2B District 4 doubleheader at Union High School.
A win over Toledo (14-6, 7-2) in Tuesday's district semifinal guarantees a regional round berth.
Cox gave up a triple in the first inning, but little else.
The wind whipped and the rain gradually built up to a downpour by the game's end. That didn't stop regional scouts from what appeared to be several MLB clubs from attending — many flashing radar guns as he peppered the strike zone.
“I felt like I was in a rhythm,” Cox said. “Weather’s obviously not ideal, so I’m trying to get in the dugout as soon as possible.”
At 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Cox throws a fastball consistently in the 90s, and hit 95 miles per hour last summer. He boasts impressive off-speed pitches.
He sees his changeup as a pitch he's trying to hone, and has been working at staying mechanically balanced on his back foot during his pitch — something more difficult in rainy conditions.
He throws to his brother, Connor Cox, a talented sophomore catcher who also pitches and plays short stop.
Alongside sophomore Oregon State commit Zach Swanson, Cox is one of two Division I arms for Class 2B Toutle Lake, the state favorite SBLive's No. 1 team in 2B.
“Jackson runs the show,” Ducks head coach Jerry Johnson said. “It was just a matter of him being able to make the adjustments he wanted to get his footing when he landed. He was pretty concerned about that.”
The attention Jackson Cox draws has been like nothing Johnson has ever seen before.
But he appreciates how much the rest of the team benefits from seeing Cox's diligent training and playing in front of scouts.
"It’s a really great experience for not only him, but also all of our guys to be able to see," Johnson said. 'I think everybody knows how hard he works and how much time he puts in."
Jackson Cox has seven days before his next start, which would be in the district title game if the Ducks reach it. He started the season on a low pitch count and has built up to around 85-90, which is under the WIAA pitch limit (105) but has been plenty enough for him most nights.
It's a move not only to preserve Cox's bright future, but also to keep him fresh for the postseason.
"I’ve been doing this long enough to know that if you don’t take care of the arm," Johnson said, "bad things can happen down the road."
