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LSU

Jay Johnson credits Riley Cooper in closing job

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•06/19/23•

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Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

While the praise for Paul Skenes during the College World Series has been warranted, he’s not the only LSU pitcher who deserves a round of applause. Take a bow, Riley Cooper.

The LSU closer put the nails in the Volunteers’ coffin during LSU’s 6-3 victory over Tennessee on Saturday. In 1.1 innings pitched, Cooper gave up just one hit while delivering two strikeouts. After the game, LSU head coach Jay Johnson gave Cooper his flowers.

“Poise, competitiveness, winner, and all of the above. And he’s been at his best here basically since the SEC Tournament. That’s like four or five really good outings in a row. And the tempo was amazing,” Johnson said following the win.

Like Johnson said, this isn’t the first time Cooper has put on a show. Batters have a .272 batting average against Cooper this season. Additionally, the left-handed pitcher has delivered 56 strikeouts.

Cooper was pivotal in LSU’s 8-3 win over Kentucky to advance to the CWS. In three innings pitched, Cooper allowed only two hits while giving up zero runs. The 6-foot-2 California native provided similar success in LSU’s 13-5 win over Oregon State in the Baton Rouge Super Regional.

While Cooper can’t haul heat the same way Skenes can, he knows how to win, and that’s what matters to Johnson.

“It was really impressive. And like I said, sometimes it’s not about spin rates, it’s not about velocity, it’s about winning pitching, and Riley is doing a lot of winning pitching right now,” Johnson said.

Hailing from the West Coast, Cooper’s collegiate journey didn’t begin in Baton Rouge. Cooper played his freshman season at Arizona, where he led the team with a team-high 29 appearances and a 4.88 ERA in 31.1 innings.

Cooper collected plenty of postseason experience with the Wildcats. Arizona made it to the CWS that season, where Cooper pitched a scoreless inning in the Wildcats’ opener against Vanderbilt.

Just a few wins away from a National Championship, LSU will need Cooper to keep his cannon ready. The Tigers will take on the No. 1 overall seed Wake Forest on Monday at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.