Throwing 96 mph as a senior at Catoosa County’s Heritage High School helped make Cole Wilcox a top-tier prospect in baseball.
He was then a college star for his beloved Georgia Bulldogs for two seasons, receiving All-America recognition in 2020.
Now he’s pitching in the pros for the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits and working his way toward what he hopes is an eventual call-up to the major leagues.
Wilcox added another memorable moment on the diamond Friday night, when the Tampa Bay Rays’ eighth-ranked prospect became the second Chattanooga native to start a game at AT&T Field this week against the Chattanooga Lookouts, who won 4-3 in 10 innings on a walk-off single by Alex McGarry.
The 24-year-old Wilcox got through the first four innings of Friday’s Southern League matchup unscathed by mixing his sinking fastball that reached the mid-90s with a slider and a changeup. Along the way, the 6-foot-5 right-hander escaped a third-inning jam. After Jacob Hurtubise led off with a triple to right-center field, Wilcox held the runner at third with a groundout to first and later induced a 5-4-3 double play.
“To be back home has been really nice,” Wilcox said. “My wife and I built a house this past offseason here, and getting to spend time there has been great. I am going over to my grandma’s house on Saturday after I pitch to eat some breakfast. You have to do the good stuff while you are home.”
Chattanooga scored twice off Wilcox in the fifth, on a sacrifice fly by Blake Dunn and Quincy McAfee’s RBI double off the wall in left. Wilcox was pulled after 4 1/3 innings, having thrown 80 pitches, and was ultimately charged with three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks.
Through 137 2/3 innings in his minor league career, Wilcox has allowed an opposing batting average of just .230 with 157 strikeouts and an average of 1.19 walks and hits per inning.
Eric Beagles, who coached Wilcox at Heritage, was glad to have the former Generals ace in town.
“I have had this date on my calendar for a while now,” Beagles said. “A lot of people have, which is a testament to who Cole is as a person. Seeing him out there pursuing his professional career in front of this home crowd was extremely special. It brought back some fond memories of his days competing at Heritage.”
Wilcox was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2020 and set a record for a third-round pick signing bonus at $3.3 million. In December 2020, he was dealt to the Rays in the trade that sent left-hander Blake Snell to San Diego.
Before undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2021, Wilcox excelled at Single-A Charleston, where he had 52 strikeouts and just five walks while posting a 2.03 ERA over his first 10 starts.
His teammates with the Biscuits include Logan Workman, the former Soddy-Daisy and Lee University star who started Wednesday against the Lookouts.
“When I first got to Charleston in 2021, Taj Bradley was our No. 4 starter in the rotation. Now, he is the No. 3 in the big league rotation,” Wilcox said. “This organization is just loaded with pitching. You have guys like Workman throwing, and Mason Montgomery the other night, too. It’s impressive to gather a group of this much talent. You learn a lot from so many people.”
Wilcox allowed only nine walks and two home runs over 60 1/3 innings in his first two minor league seasons. As he continues to build back to top form, he is grateful to have started in front of his friends and family back home.
“I hadn’t played a competitive game in Chattanooga since I was in high school until my Double-A start here,” Wilcox said. “This has been a really fun experience. To see everyone who has supported me throughout my career and being to perform in front of them has been a lot of fun. Everything has come full circle.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.