2022 2nd Team All-Sun Belt Catcher
2022 Chancellor's List
2023: Started 54 of 55 games on the season, slashing .327/.434/.514 with a career-high seven home runs and 49 RBI...Recorded 32-game on-base streak March 10-May 6, tallying 35 hits, 21 walks and was hit by eight pitches over that span...Threw out a league-best 19 base stealers, the most by a Mountaineer catcher since 2018...Came through with two walk-off winners for the Mountaineers, March 4 against Gardner-Webb and March 26 against Georgia State...Recorded four hit games against High Point Feb. 21 and North Carolina A&T Feb. 25, finishing with 19 multi-hit games on the season.
2022: Named a Sun Belt Second-Team All-Conference Selection at catcher. His 16 doubles on the season led the team and ranked tied for ninth in the Sun Belt. Led Mountaineer qualifiers in on-base percentage (.399), and batting average (.305), and tied for the team lead in RBIs (33). He ranked second on the team in slugging (.429), hits (54), and total bases (76). He finished it with 15 multi-hit games, compared to just 14 games without a hit. He posted a pair of six-game hitting streaks; one from March 4-13 and another from April 22-30. Cross ranked third among Sun Belt catchers during the regular season by throwing out 15 attempted base stealers, throwing out runners at a 37 percent clip. In just seven more games played than a season ago, Cross tallied 29 more hits, 13 more doubles and drove in 23 more runs than he did in 2021.
2021: Played in 41 games and started 33 as App State’s top catcher … Despite dealing with a mid-season injury, started in 13 of his 15 appearances in league play during the regular season … On-base percentage of .364 while batting .236 with his first career homer (against South Alabama), 10 RBIs, 13 runs scored, three doubles, 25 total hits and 19 walks … Led Sun Belt catchers with a .451 on-base percentage in league play, where he batted .300 … Threw out 10 steal attempts … RBI double in the eighth inning of a series-clinching win against South Alabama broke a 2-2 in the 4-2 victory … Sidelined for two weeks during the season by an injury.
2020 (no eligibility used due to COVID-19): Started in all nine games he played (seven at catcher and two at DH) … The left-handed-batting catcher finished the season with seven hits, four RBIs, five runs scored, five walks and a .233 batting average … Recorded a season-high two runs scored in App State’s 9-8 home victory over Siena … Drove in a pair of runs in App State’s 10-1 win at Gardner-Webb … Opened the season 3-for-8 (.375) in two games at Gardner-Webb … Went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, and two runs scored against Siena on March 11 … Delivered two-hit performances in games at Gardner-Webb on Feb. 16 and UNCG on March 1 … Season was cut short due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
2019: Left-handed-hitting catcher played in 24 games and made 12 starts (nine at catcher, three at DH) … Starter at DH in all three games to open the season at Tennessee as a freshman, he batted .277 with nine RBIs, six runs scored and 13 hits … Batted .357 (5-for-14) with runners in scoring position … Had two-hit games against Gardner-Webb (2-for-4 with three RBIs), N.C. Central (2-for-2), UNC Asheville (2-for-4) and Troy (2-for-3) … Scored three times in a win at Furman and had a two-run single in a home game against Wake Forest.
High School: All-conference pick as a senior in 2018, when he hit .305 with a .427 on-base percentage, 20 runs scored, 15 RBIs, six doubles and one home run for a 20-7 team that swept regular season and tournament titles in its conference … Batted .453 with 34 hits, 20 RBIs, eight doubles and three triples as a junior in 2017, when he was a first-team all-conference selection … Batted .362 with 25 hits and 13 RBIs as a sophomore in 2016, when he was all-conference honorable mention … Played for coach David Miller at Southern Lee … Was a member of the Carolina Cubs travel team coached by Ricky Keith.
Personal: Full name is Hayden O'Neil Cross … Son of Patrick and Amelia Cross … Born May 6, 2000 … Has one sibling: Caleb, who is transferring to App State for the 2022 season … Also lettered in cross country, as he won the most improved award in 2015 … Plans to major in applied physics with hopes of becoming an engineer after his baseball career is over.
