CONCORD—Any well-oiled machine is only as good as its individual parts. The Cox Mill softball team has those parts.

In 2016, the Chargers won the South Piedmont 3A Conference tournament for the first time in school history, and they’re currently tied with Hickory Ridge for first place in the league standings.

Leading the way for Cox Mill (12-2 overall, 11-2 SPC) this year are three standout players: Paysia Reed, Reema Patel and Madison Michael.

Reed, a junior, is the team’s primary catcher while also playing some first base. She has a .451 batting average, along with 23 hits and 24 RBIs. Reed’s on-base percentage stands at .482.

Patel, a senior co-captain, has a .500 on-base percentage in addition to a .357 batting average as an outfielder and one of the team’s defensive specialists.

Michael, a sophomore pitcher, has notched all 12 victories and boasts a 2.23 ERA in the circle for Cox Mill. She’s also struck out 69 batters.

Reed is putting up her big numbers while playing a defensive position that’s sometimes difficult for hitters. She said her key with the bat is to not get down on herself if struggles begin to set in.

“And even if you have a bad game, you’ve got to just remember that you can bounce back for the next game,” Reed said. “So don’t get hung up on if you have a couple of bad hits. Just come back and you can do better.”

Reed also made note of how her father was a former college baseball player and got her into softball at an early age.

“He’s always supported me in everything I do, and then I just started loving the game—just to follow my dad’s footsteps,” Reed said.

After making the Cox Mill junior varsity as a sophomore in 2015, Patel eventually was able to transition into a spot on the varsity club last year. She says her main thing was simply being able to support her teammates.

“Either way, I would have been cheering them on,” she said. “It doesn’t really matter, as long as I cheer on the team, in how we do. It’s been a transition. I’ve gotten better over the years.”

Michael’s mother played softball in high school and had an impact on her daughter’s athletic pursuits. Michael said her mother has caught for her since she was around 8 years old.

“I always wanted to have the ball in my hand,” Michael said, “so I wanted to be a pitcher.”

All three players acknowledge how important the other two are to the team as well.

“I’ve seen how much (Patel) has grown over the years,” Reed said. “She’s so much more confident out in the outfield, and I got so much trust in her to make plays. Also with Madison, she just is confident, and she knows that she can do it, and she never gets down on herself.”

Said Michael, “I have a lot of trust in Paysia, and having her behind the plate this season has been really great. And I just know that wherever I pitch it, I just know that she’ll get to it. And it’s really nice to be relaxed on the (circle) and know that she’ll be there, and the same with Reema. Everything that’s been hit to Reema so far this season, she’s gotten to it or she’s stopped it and kept the runners at bay.”

Patel expressed similar sentiments.

“(Reed) is doing great (behind) the plate and also hitting-wise,” Patel said. “And (Michael), she’s doing great pitching. I trust her every pitch she makes.”

For Reed and Patel, donning the purple and teal for the Chargers is not the first time they have been teammates—or the first time that they have known each other. The two once played on the same team while in middle school.

“It was such a blast playing with her,” Patel said. “I feel like I’ve known her forever.”

In most games, the Chargers get contributions from Reed, Patel, and Michael, and the rest of the club picks up its game as well. Cox Mill coach Holly Harris knows that when it’s not be one player’s night, someone else must step up.

“We always talk about playing with a purpose but also only doing your part whenever you need to,” Harris said.

Harris knows that, after coming off an SPC tournament title, the Chargers will get an opposing foe’s best shot each game.

“We’ve talked about that,” Harris said. “The targets are definitely there on us. We know that wins that maybe came easier at the beginning of the season (are) going to be much harder the second way around because our conference is so super strong.”

Cox Mill, of course, would like to win another title, but Harris believes that even if that doesn’t happen, the Chargers can still have a successful season.

“We don’t play for the banner—although we want it—we play to play good ball. We play to improve and we play for each other,” Harris said.