Blake Cooper’s message to Clarke Schmidt after tough news
South Carolina junior Clarke Schmidt will receive plenty of well wishes and advice as he deals with the news of his season-ending elbow injury that will require Tommy John surgery.
What he’ll hear is that there is a silver lining in the situation, Gamecocks pitching great Blake Cooper said Tuesday.
“The message really is, it’s one of those things that you feel bad about right now but it’s not the going to be the hardest thing he has to deal with in life,” Cooper said. “Unfortunately it happened, but fortunately a lot of pitchers come back from it and a lot of them come back stronger. He’s really got the potential to pitch a long time in the big leagues.”
Cooper joined other USC student-athletes Tuesday at a ring ceremony and group photo at Williams-Brice Stadium to celebrate their upcoming graduations.
The ace of South Carolina’s national championship staff in 2010, Cooper spent six years in the minor leagues. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks and finished his career in the Cubs organization.
He had four classes left to complete his degree in sociology with an eye toward becoming a coach. He did that this semester while serving as a student assistant under coach Chad Holbrook.
“That’s what I want to do in my future,” Cooper said of coaching. “Before I took the position and when I retired from baseball I talked to coach [Ray] Tanner and he said it was in my best interest that I stay around the program and learn the gateway to coaching.”
Cooper wants to be a pitching coach. He’s paying close attention to USC pitching coach Jerry Meyers, including calling pitches and how he approaches the season and offseason.
He’s also settled into a role as USC’s first base coach.
“I really enjoy being out there,” Cooper said. “It gives me an opportunity to get some experience during game situations and learn some base-running things. I’ve always been on the pitching side of the spectrum. It gives me an opportunity to learn more about the game.”
This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Blake Cooper’s message to Clarke Schmidt after tough news."