South Carolina Baseball: Ranking the top-15 pitchers in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Baseball’s No. 10 Greatest Pitcher of All-Time:
Blake Cooper
Hailing from the thriving metropolis of Neeses, South Carolina, Blake Cooper (2007-2010) didn’t have the best stuff or the greatest natural abilities on the mound, but he was a bulldog on the bump. Cooper had a prominent role as a Gamecock starting pitcher all four of his years in Columbia, and he was incredibly consistent.
Cooper’s consistency kept him in the starting rotation for three seasons before he took the next step up as a senior. That year was where the legend of Blake Cooper was born.
Cooper put up career-best numbers across the board in 2010: he led the team with 13 victories (with just 2 losses), posted an ERA of just 2.76, and had a minuscule 1.06 WHIP. Those numbers earned Cooper a spot on the All-American team.
His 2010 postseason was full of elite pitching performances. He kicked things off with a 12-strikeout win over The Citadel in the Columbia Regional and proved Gamecocks are the superior rooster when he dispatched the Super Regional hosting Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
In Omaha, after losing to Oklahoma in game 1, Cooper beat the Sooners on three days rest and then delivered (on three days rest again) an 8-inning, 10-strikeout domination of UCLA in game 1 of the Championship Series.
After graduation, Cooper had a brief professional career before getting into coaching. He is currently the pitching coach for The Citadel Bulldogs.