NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks pitcher Hunter Cooper drives towards the plate with the pitch against the Edmonton Prospects at Athletic Park on Wednesday night. The Mavericks lost to Edmonton 9-8.
Hunter Cooper has enjoyed his return to Medicine Hat almost as much as he’s enjoyed seeing his teammates experience Mavericks fans.
The 22-year-old was a Maverick in 2019 and said it’s exciting to see guys playing in front of the largest crowd of their young careers.
“I know a lot of these guys have never really played in front of a crowd like this before, so getting to see them experience it, and I know the first time I threw here, you have all these people here, it’s so much fun,” Cooper said. “It’s an opportunity that a lot of us won’t get to have again, so being able to take it all in, experience it and have fun with it even if you don’t have a good game.”
Cooper did not pitch in the Mavericks’ 9-6 loss Thursday in Lethbridge against the Bulls.
He said the biggest difference from his first time donning the Maverick red is he’s now the mentor to other players, not the other way around, a change he’s embraced.
“You take what you get from the other guys, so the people who mentored me as I’m growing up at school and then summer ball and getting to learn from them and picking and choosing things from them to give to these guys is pretty cool,” Cooper said.
He’s also embraced the role of starting the season in the Mavericks’ bullpen as a reliever who comes out of the ‘pen when the Mavs need a quick stop-gap or someone to eat innings. At one time, the role was called the “fireman” of the bullpen.
Cooper said the role isn’t new to him as that was how he was used at Hope International University in Fullerton, Calif. this season.
“It just shows how much trust they have in me, especially with a coach and staff that I’ve only known for two weeks,” Cooper said. “Knowing they have that trust and being able to throw me out there with runners on and be like, ‘Hey get these guys out.’”
He says it stands out even more when he doesn’t get the outs one night and the staff still trusts him in the role. After the Mavericks’ 9-8 loss to the Edmonton Prospects on Wednesday in which Cooper threw four and two-thirds innings while only allowing one hit and striking out five, head coach Tyler Jeske said having a pitcher like Cooper is critical.
“He can come in early, throw three, four or five innings, or he can come in late to the ballgame and slam the door shut,” Jeske said. “Having a guy like that is extremely critical. I told him (Cooper), ‘Excellent job, I can’t ask for anything more out of you.’”
When he has a rough outing Cooper says he has confidence in the player he is and says he looks at what he did wrong and how he can fix it. He’ll also turn to his family and dad Chris for support away from the park.
“Having somebody to bounce things off of is super important and it’s cool to have somebody that’s not here,” Cooper said. “Because he knows me, he doesn’t know what’s going on, so he knows me better than anybody here does.”
Cooper says the team is just as supportive because they know the work he’s putting in alongside them.
When he’s not at the park Cooper says he’s been watching hockey. He’s a born Anaheim Ducks fan because his parents met while working for the team, his dad as security guard and mom an usher. His grandma still works for the club.
Looking back on the 2019 Mavs team he was on that lost in the first round of the playoffs, Cooper says this year’s club has more chemistry and has a lot of potential.
“That chemistry will take us a long way and we have a lot of really talented guys,” Cooper said. “Based off the teams that we’ve played so far and what I’ve seen from us, I think we have a chance to win the whole league as long as we keep playing and play to the best of our abilities. I think we can win it all.”
The Mavericks were in action Friday at Athletic Park against the Brooks Bombers and won 9-8 in the 10th inning. The Mavericks’ next action is Saturday in Swift Current against the 57’s before they return home Sunday to host Edmonton at 2:05 p.m.
