Fruitland hardballer heading to Puerto Rico
Cox makes Coast to Coast baseball team

By Scott Ford
Argus Observer
Friday, May 30, 2008 11:36 AM PDT

Scott Ford | Argus Observer Fruitland’s Denton Cox was recently accepted to play for the Coast-to-Coast USA team in Puerto Rico. The Coast-to-Coast Stars is a team made up of the top baseball players in the country that travels to Puerto Rico to play games against other teams from around the world.

Fruitland—Not many high school kids get the opportunity to represent their country in anything but Fruitland’s Denton Cox, (17), will soon get that opportunity as he was recently selected to compete with the Coast to Coast Stars.

The Stars are a baseball  team comprised of the top players in the country, and the only way to make the team is to attend the tryouts Coast to coast hosts every year in various locations throughout the United States.

The Coast to Coast organization was formed in the fall of 1999. Coast to Coast Amateur Athletics, Inc., was formally incorporated in May, 2000, with the purpose of providing young amateur baseball players with a taste of what it is like to play the game at its highest levels.

The program is open to players ages 11 to 12, 13 to 15, and  16 to18. Based in Marietta, OH. the organization has scouts in over 30 states around the country.

Coast to Coast selects players from a series of tryouts held nationwide each fall and winter. The organization also accepts athletes that have been recommended directly by a college coach or professional scout. Once they have been selected for travel, players have a choice of tour destinations. Coast to Coast features a number of international destinations, such as Puerto Rico, Australia and Europe.

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Cox attended a tryout in The Dalles,  and when he found out that he had made the team, he said was excited.

Cox, a right handed pitcher, has had to raise money to fund the trip, and he said if it was not for his sponsors, like ACG sports, he could not have done it.

“I would like to thank my sponsors and my mom,” Cox said. “My mom has helped me a lot in the fund-raising.”

Cox will head for Puerto Rico July 3.

 Cox will fly into  San Juan, Puerto Rico, to begin his adventure. While in Puerto Rico, the Fruitland athlete will play multiple games, get to go on sight-seeing tours to places like the 450-year-old El Morro Fort.

Cox will join an impressive group of baseball players who have also been a part of Coast to Coast Athletics in the past. Players like Jake Hale, a closer with the Toronto Blue Jays organization, Bryan Anderson, a catcher in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, and many others.

“I am very proud of Denton for achieving this goal,” Cox’s mother Michelle Martin said. “I was truly happy for him when he made the team.”

Cox will be having another fund-raising event to help raise the rest of the money needed to attend the trip. The fund raiser will be June 19 at Zion Bank in Fruitland. The fund-raiser will be a free car wash with donations being accepted. Free water and soda’s will be served.