The University of Mississippi Athletics
Kris Cox Earns Spot On Canadian National Baseball Team
11/22/2000 | Baseball
Nov. 22, 2000
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Ole Miss junior outfielder Kris Cox was one of 22 players selected to Baseball Canada's Senior National Team that will compete in the America's Qualifying Tournament in Panama City, Panama, starting Friday and running through next Saturday, Dec. 3. The Baseball Canada Senior National Team is the equivalent of the United States' 2000 Olympic Team that captured the gold medal in Sydney, Australia.
Former professional, college and independent league players were eligible for the team.
Cox started in centerfield during both of Team Canada's exhibition games against the United States this past Monday and Tuesday in Fort Myers. During the Americans' 9-0 win over Canada on Monday, Cox recorded one of the Canadians' five hits, going 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt.
A two-year starter for the Rebels, Cox has a .314 career batting average with one HR, 31 RBI, and has 13 stolen bases in 20 attempts. Last spring, Cox appeared in 50 of Ole Miss' 55 games, batting .307 with one HR and 19 RBI as the Rebels' regular lead-off hitter.
This past summer, Cox played for the Chatham Athletics in the Cape Cod League, finishing seventh in the prestigious wooden bat league in hitting with a .304 average. He was also 19-of-24 in stolen bases, helping the A's to a berth in the league playoffs, where he batted .462 (7-of-15) in four playoff games.
Eleven teams will be competing in the America's Qualifying Tournament for five spots to next year's 2001 World Cup in Taiwan. Among the countries participating in Panama will be such international powerhouses as the United States, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. As defending World Cup champions, Cuba will not be competing in the tournament as the Cubans received an automatic berth to next year's world championships.
Team Canada will open Pool B play Saturday at 7 pm (CST) versus Venezuela. Nicaragua, Argentina and Guatemala are also in the Canadians' pool.