June 8, 2010
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina senior right-handed pitcher Blake Cooper has been selected in the 12th round of the 2010 MLB Draft. Dyson was the No. 361st overall pick in the draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is the third current Gamecock player to be selected in this year’s draft.
Cooper earned third-team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball and was named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List as well.
Cooper did not allow an earned run and struck out a career-high 12 batters as South Carolina defeated The Citadel 9-4 in the Gamecocks second game of the regional. He is 2-0 in his career in the postseason for the Gamecocks.
Cooper leads the Southeastern Conference in victories with an 11-1 record including seven wins in conference play, tying him for the most conference wins as well. Cooper has pitched a SEC high 111.1 innings and is fourth in the league in earned run average (2.75), fourth in strikeouts (100) and fifth in opposing batting average (.226). In SEC games, Cooper pitched a SEC-high 71.2 innings, was fifth in opposing batting average (.231), fifth in earned run average (3.01) and sixth in strikeouts (58).
Blake Cooper’s 11 wins on the year gives him 32 now for his career at Carolina and puts him at sixth on the South Carolina career victories list.
COOPER’S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2010 – Named by Collegiate Baseball to third-team All-America squad … Earned first-team All-SEC honors … Improved to 11-1 on the year with win over The Citadel in the NCAA Regional (6/5); allowed four runs, all unearned, on six hits in 7.1 innings with career-high 12 strikeouts and three walks … No-decision in 3-1 loss to Auburn at SEC Tournament (5/27): worked 7.2 innings and allowed one run on eight hits with six strikeouts and no walks … Suffered his first loss of the year in a quality start in a 3-2 loss to Florida (5/20); allowed three runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and one walk … Improved to 10-0 on the year with seven innings of work in 3-2 win at Arkansas; allowed just two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks (5/14) … Improved to 9-0 with a win at Kentucky in 13-6 victory; allowed seven runs, three earned, on nine hits with three strikeouts and three walks (5/7) … No-decision in 9-7 win vs. Alabama; allowed four runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts and a walk in 6.1 innings of work (4/30) … Improved to 8-0 with win in 11-4 victory at Georgia (4/25); allowed four runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts and one walk … Named SEC Pitcher of the Week after hurling first career complete game shutout, a four-hitter with a career-high 10 strikeouts in 2-0 win vs. Ole Miss (4/16) … Earned sixth win of season at Vanderbilt in 3-2 victory (4/9); allowed just two runs, one earned, on two hits in 7.1 innings with three strikeouts and four walks … Improved to 5-0 with win vs. Mississippi State (4/2); allowed just two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and a walk in the 10-2 victory … Earned win at Auburn with seven innings of work, allowed four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and four walks in 11-5 victory (3/26) … Quality start in 4-2 win vs. Tennessee, allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits in 6.1 innings with season-high eight strikeouts and just two walks (3/19) … Picked up win in 8-4 victory over Brown (3/13); allowed two runs on two hits in six innings with six strikeouts and four walks … No-decision in start at Clemson (3/5), allowed three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and a walk … Started on Opening Day and earned win with five innings of work, allowed two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts in 10-3 victory over Duquesne (2/21) … Earned a victory in the 6-2 win over ECU (2/26), allowed just two runs on four hits while striking out four batters and walking two.
2009 – Tied for the team high in victories with a 9-4 record … Pitched a team high three complete games as well … Appeared in 17 games with 16 starts on the mound … Hurled complete game and earned victory in 12-2 win over East Carolina at NCAA Regional (5/30), allowed just two runs on 14 hits with six strikeouts and two walks … Named to 2009 NCAA Regional All-Tournament team … Quality start and a no-decision in 9-5 win over Alabama at SEC Tournament (5/20), allowed just five runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings of work with seven strikeouts and two walks … Worked two innings and earned win in a predetermined split in 6-1 victory over Georgia (5/16) … Worked seven innings and allowed just one run on five hits with five strikeouts in 15-6 win over Tennessee (5/10) … Pitched second complete game of season and earned win in 11-3 victory over Vanderbilt (5/3), allowed three runs on 12 hits with six strikeouts and no walks … Picked up win in 10-4 victory over Auburn (4/19), allowed four runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and five walks … No-decision in 7-4 loss vs. Arkansas (4/5), allowed four runs on eight hits in five-plus innings of work … Strong performance to pick up win and clinch series for Carolina at Kentucky (3/29); allowed just two runs on eight hits in complete game 4-2 victory … Earned win with 5.2 innings of work in 14-2 victory at College of Charleston (3/24), allowed just one run on five hits … Six scoreless innings allowing just two hits while striking out seven to pick up win in 15-0 victory at Furman (3/18) … Six scoreless innings allowing just two hits while striking out seven to pick up win in 6-0 victory over Duquesne (2/23).
2008 – Appeared and started 15 games as a sophomore … Posted a 5-6 record in 93.2 innings of work with a 3.94 ERA … Struck out 59 batters while walking 23 … Worked 8.1 innings and allowed four runs, one earned, on seven hits while finishing with a career-high nine strikeouts and no walks in 7-5 win over James Madison in NCAA Regional (6/1) … 2008 NCAA Regional All-Tournament team … Struck out eight batters in 4.1 innings of work in 7-5 loss vs. Vanderbilt at SEC Tournament … Earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors following complete game six-hitter in 4-1 victory over Ole Miss (4/20) … Picked up win at Auburn in 7-6 victory; went 6.2 innings and allowed three runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and two walks (4/13) … Quality start vs. Kentucky as he allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits in 6.2 innings of a 6-2 win over Wildcats (3/30) … Worked eight innings and allowed just three runs on three hits in 10-3 win over Mississippi State (3/23) … Pitched six scoreless innings and struck out six batters in 10-2 win over Duquesne (3/9) … Pitched six innings and allowed one run, unearned, on seven hits with three strikeouts to pick up victory in 5-1 win at Clemson (3/2).
2007 – Named to Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America team … Appeared in 17 games with 11 starts compiling a 7-2 record with a 4.48 ERA in 60.1 innings pitched … Earned victory in 13-7 win at Tennessee; pitched six innings allowing six runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts (5/13) … Earned victory in 13-6 win vs. Kentucky; pitched 5.2 innings allowing four runs on five hits with five strikeouts (5/6) … Pitched 5.1 scoreless innings with just four hits allowed in 8-0 win over Wofford (4/17) … Earned fourth win of the season with career-high 7.2 innings of work and just two runs allowed on six hits in 8-2 victory vs. Vanderbilt (4/1) … Worked 5.2 scoreless innings in first career start to pick up win in 9-5 victory over LSU (3/18) … Earned first career win in first start with five innings of work and a career-high six strikeouts in 13-2 victory over Brown (3/11) … Also had a win vs. Appalachian State.
