By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
A Del Rio Rams product will take his first steps towards a possible birth in the College Baseball World Series this weekend.
Texas State University freshman Wade Cooper and his teammates open the NCAA College State Regional Tournament Friday when they take on former national champions USC at 8 p.m. at Blue Bell Park in College Station. The Bobcats enter the series 36-24 overall and fresh off an early exit from the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
The Trojans, 12-time NCAA national champions in baseball, are 43-15 on the season and are coming off a 7-5 loss to No. 1 UCLA in the Big 10 Tournament.
In his first year with Texas State, Cooper appeared in 21 games, starting six of them and earning five saves along the way. He’s 6-3 overall with a 4.67 ERA in 61.2 innings pitched. He’s struck out nearly three times as many batters as he’s walked – 66 to 23 – and batters are hitting .260 off the big righty who is listed at 6 feet, 1 inch tall and 218 pounds.
His best game of the season came May 8 at Arkansas State. He tossed a complete game, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out a season-high 12 batters against just one walk in a 6-2 Texas State win.
Cooper made his mark with the Del Rio Rams baseball program. As a freshman, Cooper was named to the District 30-6A All-District First Team and was named Newcomer of the Year. He also earned second team honors at first base and first team honors as a pitcher his junior year. He was named the team’s MVP that same year.
Aside from his success with the Rams, Cooper also turned heads playing travel baseball. His performances with the Texas Reds and Texas Angels got Cooper even more attention and helped lead him to his current home with Texas State.
Cooper is looking to become the second Del Rio High Rams baseball player to earn a trip to Omaha, following in the footsteps of “Captain” Jack Mayfield. Mayfield played in the 2010 College World Series as a member of the University of Oklahoma Sooners.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
