NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat two-way player Hunter Cooper celebrates his go ahead home run in Game 2 of the Mavericks semi-finals match against the Moose Jaw Miller Express.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Hunter Cooper has got his chance to live out his dream of becoming a professional baseball player and he is doing so on an international stage.
The 23-year-old former Medicine Hat Maverick has signed a pro deal with the Brasschaat Braves of the Belgian Baseball Gold League. He’s excited to play pro ball in Europe and have a team who sees him as a pro.
“You always think you’re good enough for somebody to want to pay you to play, you just always think that way and that’s the goal,” Cooper said. “Growing up, you want to play in college, want to play for a good summer team and then eventually want somebody to pay you to play baseball. This is that next step for me, the first contract to happen and it’s just been super awesome.”
Cooper donned the Mavericks red for two seasons, 2019 and 2022. He says he’ll never forget his time in Medicine Hat and playing at Athletic Park.
“Playing in that city and the fans, they just totally embrace you even though you’re only there for a summer, or for some people, two or three,” Cooper said. “They totally embrace you and it’s just a really, really well run organization. All the stuff Greg (Morrison) does is just top of the line and I can’t be thankful enough for the time that I had there.”
Morrison was not surprised when Cooper signed a pro deal because of how he acts off the field on top of how well he plays.
“He was a pillar of our community,” Morrison said. “During those school appearances, whether he was going to schools or having kids come to him and playing with them on the field, that stuff matters in the big picture. I gave a reference for the league he went to and when you can speak about how players are off the field as well as on the field, that’s what I love about baseball, because that’s how you stick around. So, it’s awesome. He’s a great kid. he deserves to play and keep playing for a long time.”
The Anaheim, Calif. product split duties as a hitter and pitcher with the Mavericks last season and earned his spot in the all-star game on the mound. Due to an injury, that has since healed, he was limited to designated hitting during the Mavericks’ playoff run.
He says he will continue his two-way play there in a rotation following the league’s import rules which only allow three import players on the field at a time. The Braves already have an import starter, so Cooper will come out of the bullpen on days he starts and will play at first base or DH the other days.
Cooper reports to Belgium in the middle of March for their spring training ahead of the season starting in April and ending sometime in September and October, like Major League Baseball. Cooper says his experience in the Western Canadian Baseball League has helped prepare him for what will be a much longer season than he ever had at Hope International College in Fullerton, Calif.
His biggest takeaway from his time in college and summer ball was how to navigate obstacles in his life.
“My very first year of college, I tore my ACL and that was one of the toughest things I’ve had to go through in my athletic career. Then going through position battles to get playing time, I never really had to deal with in high school,” Cooper said. “Going through that and learning how to deal with that while learning how to compete with guys for the same position but still be friends with them. All the pitchers were together every day, we’re competing for innings and time on the mound, but yet we still have to be buddies and hang out, and we’re still a family.
“I learned to want the best for myself but also want the best for the guys around me, because if they’re playing better, it’s only going to make me better.”
