Penn State baseball head coach Rob Cooper steps down
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa – After 10 years in Happy Valley, Rob Cooper has stepped down as the head coach of Penn State baseball.
"I am beyond grateful for my time as the head baseball coach at Penn State," said Cooper in a statement. "This is a special place, because of the special people who make it up. My family and I love Penn State. While I am disappointed I wasn't able to get the baseball program the success it deserves, I am excited about the vision Dr. Kraft has for Penn State Athletics, the student-athletes and the baseball program. Penn State Baseball is in good hands. The next coach will love Penn State, the people and the community as much as my family has. I wish our players nothing but success and happiness. We Are!!!"
Cooper departs from Penn State after a down year in 2023 that saw the Nittany Lions on the verge of a Big Ten tournament trip before a nine-game losing streak. Seven out of the nine games came against conference opponents, adding to the teams disappointing 6-15 conference record.
He recorded 197 wins in Happy Valley and will look to add two more on Friday and Saturday as Penn State finishes a three-game series against No. 20 Maryland.
Since taking over in 2014, the blue and white has had two winning seasons and one Big Ten tournament trip under Cooper. 2016 was the only full season that the team had a record above .500 at 28-27, with the other winning record coming in 2020 at 10-5 with the season cut short.
The former head coach led the team to their first Big Ten tournament appearance since 2012 in 2022. In the tournament, Penn State edged out a 5-2 win over Iowa before losing to Rutgers and Iowa, which knocked the Nittany Lions out of its 2022 campaign.
During Cooper’s tenure, 12 players were drafted, and 13 total signed with MLB teams in the last five seasons.
Catcher Matt Wood became the highest-selected position player in program history when he was taken in 132nd overall by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Penn State will now start a national search for its next head coach for the 2024 season. The next hire will be the program's 15th head coach.
Micheal Bolger is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email mpb6233@psu.edu.
