A Clemson baseball player mourns the death of his cousin

The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, FL affected many people on Wednesday and one of those affected is a Clemson baseball team member. 

Nikolas Cruz, 19, affected the lives of many people on Wednesday when he shot and killed 17 people(14 students, 3 faculty members) at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. One of the lives affected was injured Clemson junior infielder, Grant Cox.

Cox is from Simpsonville, SC and on Wednesday, as he continued to wait on the anticipated start of the baseball season which gets underway at 4 p.m. today. His excitement for the opening series with William &Mary was interrupted and replaced with anxiousness, because Luke Hoyer, his cousin and a freshman at Stoneman Douglas was missing, and he and his family were waiting to hear that he was safe.

Hoyer, the nephew of Grant’s mom Joan Cox, was one of the last victims identified and his parents, Tom and Gena Hoyer, didn’t get confirmation of his death until about 12:30 on Thursday morning. The 15-year-old will be greatly missed by Cox.

“He was an incredible individual always laughing, always smiling. He lit up the room. I can’t say enough about him, man. The kid was quiet but he had a big heart. He was only 15. He had such a bright future ahead of him. I miss him more now than I ever have.”

Cox isn’t the first Clemson athlete to be affected by a senseless mass shooting. Former basketball player Patrick Rooks’ aunt, Depayne Middleton, was killed by Dylan Roof in the Emanuel AME Church shooting on June 17, 2015. Another person killed in the Charleston, S.C. shooting was Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, the mother of minor league baseball player, Chris Singleton. Cox and Singleton are friends and became friends through summer league play, and he said Singleton helped him deal with his sorrow yesterday.

“So I reached out to him. Me and him played summer ball together two years ago, and we became really close. He had some unbelievable words to say and you know anything helps. I was glad to reach out to him, and I’m really thankful for it. Anything helps.”

Like Roof, Cruz was also linked to a hate organization.

Singleton continues to play baseball while taking time to also help Cox and others through his words as a public speaker. His signature phrase is “Love is stronger than hate” and Cox echoed those words, “Love is so much stronger than hate.” He also added, “Love conquers. Love will always win over hate.”

Cox will lean on Singleton’s words and the support from head coach Monte Lee, teammates and the Clemson family throughout this season and beyond, and he appreciates what he has received from each of them thus far.

"I can’t express my gratitude and love for him(Lee). He helped me out and said anything that he needs to do that he will be there for me. My teammates have been incredible. I can’t ask for much more. We have a huge support staff, and I know they are praying for my family and more importantly the Hoyer family. That’s all you can ask for."

Although Hoyer gravitated more towards basketball than baseball, he was still always eager to help his cousin hone his baseball skills. “If I ever needed anyone to throw with, he was the one to do it. A caring individual.”

Now, Cox won’t have Hoyer to catch balls or watch him play at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, but he won’t be far from his heart and his future will forever be influenced by his love for his cousin.

“Everything that I do will be for Luke and in his honor. He deserves that.”

Cox will go to Florida with his family today and return to the Clemson campus next week.