Family: Parents: Doug and Peggy Cox; brothers: Christian (21) and Colton (15).
Favorite athlete: Jamaal Charles.
Favorite team: Kansas City Chiefs.
Other sports: Football, basketball and track and field.
Best athletic memory: Roncalli's undefeated regular season in football in 2012 and making it to the state semifinals.
Dalton Cox doesn't take too many breaks.
Cox is a multi-sport athlete for Aberdeen Roncalli. He is currently playing baseball for the Aberdeen Smittys, which has won three of their last four games after starting the season 1-5.
Cox is a big reason for the Smittys recent surge. He batted .381 with eight hits and six doubles through last Friday's doubleheader against Watertown. Cox then went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs in game two of a doubleheader versus Pierre on Sunday. Cox had a 2-for-4 outing in the first game against Pierre.
"He is real good for our four spot," Aberdeen Smittys' coach Justin Downes said. "He has been an extra base machine for us right now. He is driving in a lot of runs and really doing his job all the way around the field and at the plate."
For his efforts, Cox is the Aberdeen American News Athlete of the Week.
The Smittys began the season by dropping two games versus Post 22 and then splitting with Post 320. Aberdeen then dropped a pair of games against Sioux Falls West to slip to 1-5. The Smittys are now 4-6.
"We really starting getting our bats going," Cox said. "Everybody has kind of come around. Our fielding is getting better. Our pitchers are starting to throw more strikes. Getting a couple of games under our belt was huge."
While the Smittys were struggling to the start the season, Cox was doing well at the plate. The third baseman went 3-for-3 in the first game of the season and drove in two runs. Cox credits time spent in the batting cage during practices starting in the winter for his solid offensive production so far. He also credits Downes, assistant coach Sam Heintzman and his brother Christian Cox for giving him hitting advice.
"Just getting a lot of advice is really helping," Cox said.
Cox participated in track and field for Roncalli before the Smittys started the season. He finished fifth in the shot put at the recent state track and field meet.
"Part of what makes him special is how hard he works," Downes said. "The kid strives on being in shape and working really hard all of the sports. Every time he is on the field, he never takes a pitch off or an at-bat. He is always hustling around the base paths and doing whatever he can to help the team win."
Cox doesn't get much a break during any of the sports seasons. He spends his fall as a running back/linebacker for Roncalli. He then played basketball during the winter for the Cavaliers. Cox will then go to track and field in the spring. Not to mention, he will have baseball practice during the winter.
"It is pretty hectic," Cox said, "but I'm kind of used to it by now because I have been in four sports for a while."
He even wrestled for the Cavaliers his freshman season, but could not compete in any sport during the winter his sophomore season because of Tommy John surgery.
"It was pretty frustrating," he said about the surgery. "It gave me a good look at some stuff and allowed me to work on some other things that I probably would have overlooked had I not had the surgery."
The senior-to-be would like to play either football or baseball in college. If he does play a college sport, he will then get more of a break during the off-season.
"He is just one heck of an athlete," Downes said. "He always loves to compete."