NEW ULM — After weighing his options for college and continuing his athletic career, Minnesota Valley Lutheran senior Mason Cox decided that he was just going to stay home. He lives a few blocks away from the campus so the decision was pretty easy in the end.

Cox will play both baseball and basketball beginning next year at Martin Luther College. His dad, Randy, is the baseball coach there.

“I thought about just doing a business degree and teaching was the main one, obviously, but also some sort of counseling or therapy, but I loved teaching because I love working with kids,” Mason Cox said. “I could get a coaching minor at MLC and that’s a big thing I’d want to do too, especially a baseball coach.”

Cox was a three-sport star at MVL and he also was a key player on the New Ulm VFW and Legion baseball teams over the last years. As of now, he’s going to play basketball and baseball at MLC, but football is always a possibility, too.

Randy Cox said that the two have been working together on baseball and Mason was a key addition to a talented class coming in.

“I’ve been working out with him with the Coronavirus stuff, but his power has definitely increased,” Randy Cox said. “He can drive the ball and I’m excited. I lost seven seniors in the starting lineup, we had a solid spring trip and I have a real solid recruiting class coming in as freshmen and he’s been connecting with some of the other guys with Instagram and snapping them.”

Mason had his senior baseball season wiped away because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s been the Chargers starting catcher the past three seasons and has been one of the better defensive catchers in the area. In basketball, he was a physical force for the Chargers who had good touch around the rim. He averaged 13.1 points and 8.1 rebounds for the Chargers, who finished the season 26-3.

“I told [MLC men’s basketball coach Greg] Holzhueter that I’m going to play basketball and he really wanted me to,” Mason Cox said. “I’m kind of on the fence about football, coach [Mark] Stein really wants me to play, I love football, but playing three sports is really insane no matter where you go.”

As of now, he faces the challenge of preparing for two college sports and it’s hard to do because of the COVID pandemic. He doesn’t have access to a gym and weight rooms, so he has to get himself ready in different ways.

“I’ve been doing a bunch of home workouts, I have some dumbbells, I’ve been hitting in my garage,” he said. “My mom printed off some spring workouts and I’ve been playing football in the park once in a while. Just anything to get outside.

“I’ve been trying to get in the gym, but obviously nothing is opened,” he said. “I’ve been working on footwork stuff and just hoping that it can open up soon so I can get in the gym.”

Randy Cox has coached Mason in baseball throughout his career and he’s looking forward to Mason’s next venture.

“As a dad, I’m excited to coach him in college, but as a college coach, I’m excited to have him as an athlete coming in, I’m real excited,” coach Cox said.