Assistant coach Kent Cox is in his eighth season withthe Gardner-Webb program, and will continue to mentor the program'shitters and infielders in 2014 – two areas the Runnin'Bulldogs have shown continued improvement in since Cox's arrival oncampus. The infield trio of Ryan Hodge, Scott Johnson and Henry Rundiocontinued to be strong for Gardner-Webb in 2013, and first basemanBrad Collins finished at the top of the Big South Conference, andamong NCAA Division I leaders, with 27 doubles as a senior in 2013.Collins' total was just three shy of the school record held bycurrent Major Leaguer Blake Lalli (30 doubles in 2005). Cox was instrumental in Gardner-Webb finishing strong again in2012, with the team rapping out 108 doubles en route to a 32-28record. Shortstop Ryan Hodge earned second-team All-Big SouthConference honors after leading the team with a .315 average and 16steals – and became the first GWU position player to earnLouisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors since catcher JayMcConnell in 2005. Three GWU sluggers – Scott Coleman, BradCollins and John Harris – each established new career-highsin home runs, with Harris earning second-team All-Big South honorsas well. Hodge teamed with classmate Scott Johnson to form one of the BigSouth's most effective double play combinations, with Johnsonfielding a strong .957 on the season and finishing second on thesquad with 103 assists. In 2011, Gardner-Webb was one of the nation's most potentoffensive squads, ranking in the top-50 in scoring (26th), runs pergame (29th), hits (33rd), batting average (37th), doubles (44th)and doubles per game (46th). Slugger Dusty Quattlebaum finished13th nationally in doubles per game, nearly breaking the school'ssingle-season record in that category en route to AcademicAll-America honors. Gardner-Webb batted .302 with 399 runs scored and 118 doubles in2011, and advanced to the 2011 Big South Conference TournamentChampionship Game. In 2010, GWU batted a solid .312 and averaged 7.0 runs per gamewith a very young group of hitters -belting 46 home runs on theyear. In 2009, Gardner-Webb set new school records for season battingaverage (.327) and home runs (65), just one season after postingthe most total bases (999) in GWU history. Three of Cox's hitters, Daniel Cooke, Justin Loyd and BrockMiller, each earned All-Big South Conference honors in 2009, withLoyd becoming the first Diamond 'Dog to bat .400 since theprogram's move to NCAA Division I. Prior to joining the GWU family, Cox spent the four seasons asan assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater,Campbell University, in Buies Creek, N.C. During that span, theCamels experienced a burst in their offensive output, with severalplayers ranking among the best in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Under Cox's guidance in 2006, first baseman Mike Priest led theA-Sun in batting with a .402 average, runs scored (62), total bases(151) and slugging percentage (.674) - and was named AcademicAll-America for the second season in a row. Cox played for the Camels from 1993-1996, earning AcademicAll-America honors himself in 1995. A three-team All-Conferencechoice on the diamond and a three-time Academic All-Districtselection, Cox finished as Campbell's all-time leader in hits (269)and seventh with a .348 career batting average. He ranks in thetop-10 in Campbell history in runs (147), steals (32), doubles (39)and total bases (341). Cox is also the toughest player in Campbellhistory to strike out, fanning just once every 16.8 times at theplate. Cox is also a veteran broadcaster, having served Campbell as atelevision analyst for men's basketball games and as theplay-by-play voice for Camels' athletics for two seasons. A native of Wilmington, N.C., Cox played prep baseball atHoggard (N.C.) High and attended St. Andrews College beforetransferring and playing his four seasons on the diamond atCampbell. In addition to his most recent coaching experience at Campbell,Cox served as a volunteer coach with the Camels in 2001, afterspending two years on the staff at NAIA Montreat (N.C.)College. | 