Cooper Grant '23 Recruiting Profile

I am a two-way player, with a track record of excellent pitching and batting stats.

In 2016 I set a goal to make the New Zealand Ripken baseball team and attend the Cal Ripken U13 World Championships in Baltimore Maryland. I worked hard knowing there were limited spots on the team. I didn't just want to be a part of the team, but to become the best on it, and I was successful in doing so.

I had pitched fastpitch softball since I was four years old and was planning on following my fathers' footsteps into the Softball Hall of Fame.

I have been playing baseball for six years now and have dedicated my time to improving my academic grades, my baseball skills, my fitness and my work ethic. This hard work ethic has been rewarded through representing not only Nelson, but also New Zealand at high levels, along with many national awards each season.

In 2020 I achieved another of my goals, and that was to play in the Australian Baseball League, as a development player for the Auckland Tuatara professional baseball team. I have been the Baseball New Zealand player of the year for my age group for the last two seasons and was named MVP at the 19U National Championships in 2021. 

Unfortunately, because the game of baseball is still growing in Nelson, in 2021 I needed to play for an Auckland-based Club to be able to extend my game and achieve another of my goals, that of winning a national championship. In March 2021 I was privileged to be the relief pitcher in the final of the Baseball New Zealand Men's Championships, for my Club, Bayside Westhaven, winning the championship title.

Now, my next goal is to study for a degree in Sports Management or Athletics Education at a US college on the pathway to a career in Major League Baseball.

I enjoy working hard on and off the diamond. I am a good teammate, leader, and love to keep learning.