By Tim Best

Our alumni spotlight for this year’s program goes to Ryan Cox, a shortstop and DH for the 2015 Utica Brewers who now plays for the world-famous Savannah Bananas.

Cox was an integral part of a team that reached the PGCBL playoffs just a year removed from a 9-36 record, which was the worst regular season record in PGCBL history at the time. The Kutztown University alum was a PGCBL all-star and won the league’s batting title that year on the final day of the season with a .383 average. His signature game in Utica came on June 22, when he hit a perfect 5-for-5 with 3 RBIs against the Adirondack Trail Blazers at Murnane Field. His 54 hits are tied for the 5th most in a season in franchise history while his .383 average ranks as the 4th highest in a season in franchise history.

After playing independent ball from 2018-20, Cox finally got his breakthrough last year and became the next high-profile athlete to come from Aliquippa, Pa. His baseball trick videos gained him thousands of followers on TikTok and caught the attention of the Savannah Bananas, who were taking their unique brand of baseball, “Banana Ball”, on the road for their inaugural “world tour.” Cox is now their starting shortstop and has over 240,000 followers on TikTok, setting the baseball world on fire with every in-game trick he pulls off. Cox made his return to Central New York this past fall when the Bananas concluded their 2023 world tour with games in Syracuse and Cooperstown.