Self-Assured Cooper Looks Toward UCLA

UCLA is on a roll in the production of great backstops. In recent years, the Bruins have featured catchers Todd Zeile, a rookie with the St. Louis Cardinals, and Paul Ellis, a senior hitting over .340 with 21 home runs.

Now comes Mike Cooper from Miraleste, humble owner of a .547 batting average and a slugging percentage of .868, who would like nothing more than to keep this budding tradition alive. “Even if I have to walk on (and play without a scholarship),” Cooper said, “I think it would be great to play for UCLA, although I haven’t really talked to their coaches about it yet.

“Last year, playing in college was just ‘a hope’--it wasn’t even really a goal. But now. . . .”

Ken Russell isn’t surprised that Miraleste is 13-3 overall, 6-0 in the Santa Fe League and holds the No. 8 rating in the Cal-Hi Sports Weekly state 2-A Division poll.

“We had six starters returning, all of them key starters, and our two best pitchers back,” explained the third-year coach, who guided the Marauders to an 18-8 record, a second-place league finish and a spot in the CIF Southern Section playoffs in 1989. “We felt that we had the potential for a real good year, and we have had a strong first half.”

But Cooper’s long-ball prowess (four home runs, 34 runs batted in) is a facet of Miraleste’s attack that wasn’t expected.

“He’s definitely been a surprise offensively,” Russell said of Cooper, a two-year starter. “Last year, he was a good contact hitter, but he didn’t have a lot of power.”

Cooper, who had eight interceptions as a defensive back for the Miraleste football team last fall, has been playing with ever-increasing self-confidence, according to his coach.

“This year, he got off to a great start, and I think he gained a lot of confidence,” Russell said. “He had an excellent year in football, and from my observations, from about the middle of last (baseball) season on, he’s really gained confidence in his athletic ability.

“He’s really blossomed from that point on. He’s just been an outstanding player in all respects.”

Cooper said playing winter-league baseball prior to this season was an important step in building his self-esteem.

“I played against excellent competition in the winter,” he said. “It was a tough league with a lot of guys from higher levels.

“I played OK, and I figured if I could hit in that league, that a regular high school league would be easy. Everything has looked like beach balls to me since then.”

Cooper, who throws and hits right-handed, is one of three Marauders hitting above .400. But even with all that offense, the pitching of Jason Mavar has played an invaluable role in Miraleste’s success.

Mavar is 8-1 with a 1.22 earned-run average. Cooper said that he and Mavar, who hope to someday become battery mates for the Bruins, have developed a good rapport.

“I know what Jason can do after working with him for a couple of years now and can tell what he has working each game,” said Cooper, who calls most of Miraleste’s pitches. “The great thing about him is that he has so many pitches.

“That makes it easy on me. If the curveball isn’t working, we’ll just go to the knuckleball.”

Russell said his willingness to let Cooper call pitches stems from the coach’s belief in his catcher’s maturity. “Plus, we think alike, and he knows what I expect.

“We spend a lot of time talking about our pitchers’ strengths. He looks at me before every pitch to see if I want to signal the pitch, but about 70% of the time I let him call the pitch.”

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Cooper has always played catcher, “except when I first started playing about 10 years ago in a really little league, like T-ball, and I played second base very briefly,” he said.

It didn’t take much to convert him. “From the first time I played catcher, I knew it was for me,” Cooper recalled.

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted to play ever since. It’s fun to be involved on every pitch.”

And as far as his coach is concerned, there isn’t much his senior can’t do behind the plate.

“He not only throws runners out trying to steal, but he’s not afraid to try to pick a runner off,” Russell said. “He’s been very successful in that respect.

“But I would have to say equally impressive has been his improvement in blocking pitches. He’s really been our take-charge guy as far as keeping the team together defensively.”

Of Cooper’s baseball future, Russell said: “He definitely has the ability to play past high school. I’d say that right now he’s a question mark as far as playing Division I early in his career.

“But if he stuck it out, I think he’d probably be getting playing time by his junior year. He definitely has Division I potential if he continues to improve at the rate he has this year.”

Cooper doesn’t want to look too far ahead. He is busy enjoying the dream of a final high-school season, having a standout year for an excellent team.

“It’s great playing on such a balanced team,” Cooper said. “When the hitters in front of me get on base, it helps me mentally.

“If they were getting out, it would be easier to get intimidated and to start wondering if the pitcher was just too good for us.”

Russell added: “The balanced hitting attack has benefited all of the players in that they don’t feel pressure. They know that if they don’t do the job, somebody else will step in and do it.”

Team success, Cooper said, is what it’s all about--which is why his first home run was so thrilling. It was a three-run, seventh-inning blast to right-center field and provided the Marauders with a 13-11, come-from-behind win to complete a doubleheader sweep of St. Anthony.

“That’s what made that meaningful, that it helped us come back and win,” Cooper said. “It was exciting.”

And, if he has his way, the excitement will continue at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Westwood.