Anyone who watched Sagehens baseball take on East Texas Baptist University on opening weekend knows the name Cooper Berry PZ ’27. Berry hit two home runs and drove in seven runs as the Sagehens topped the Tigers two games to one. While Berry’s bat may have shocked new fans, his success came as little surprise to his teammates and coaches.
Cooper’s freshman season came and went with little fanfare as he battled through a significant back injury, causing him to struggle with his swing timing as he got back on the field. Still, Berry said that he believes the adversity he faced will ultimately have a positive impact on his career.
“Freshman year, that kind of led to some rough struggles, which I think, in turn, probably helped in the long run. Because you go through some struggles, you work to get better, you work through things,” Berry said.
After the Sagehens played in the College World Series, Coach Frank Pericolosi assigned Berry to Dansville, New York, to play summer ball. Berry relayed that the experience — playing baseball and living in a rural town down the road from an Amish community — gave him the confidence he now carries.
“I was never anywhere near the best player on my team, and [playing in the New York Collegiate Baseball League] was cool because I was one of the top performers up there,” Berry said. “And definitely it’s that confidence which I think has led into this season.”
Now, in the midst of his second season with the Sagehens, Berry can rightfully be described as a star. He is batting .338 with a 1.159 OPS to go along with seven home runs and 24 RBIs. His teammate, batting cage partner and captain JC Ng PO ’25 sees Berry’s work ethic and mentality as the driving factors in his play.
“He’s an extremely hard worker, even throughout the entire fall and up until the spring, he’s one of those guys that is always taking his reps extremely seriously,” Ng said. “His mental strength is very, very strong as well.”
Berry said that he plays with what he calls a “yes, yes, no” mentality, where his default is to swing at the majority of pitches. Unless Berry sees a pitch that he deems unhittable, he will swing.
“I think a huge part of it is just not overcomplicating things,” Berry said. “I think a lot of people, they get in there and they think too much in the box. One of the things I love about baseball is when you’re in that box and you’re about to get the pitch — your mind is never clearer any time in life.”
Berry has been a mainstay at the heart of the lineup this season, serving as a source of power.
“He’s a guy when he’s in the box, everybody kind of stops and watches,” Pericolosi said. “And if you’re in the stands, you should stop and watch, because it could go out. So that’s pretty cool to have a guy on your lineup like that.”
Beyond his efforts on the field, Ng said he just loves being Berry’s teammate and that he sees him as a positive force around the team — the glue that keeps the Sagehens together.
“He’s just a great all-around guy,” Ng said. “He brings a smile to my face whenever I see him. I learn a lot from him as a player, as a person … He’s one of the best guys on the team to be around.”
Berry, in reflection on what makes his time on the Sagehen baseball team special, pointed out the great energy and spirit on the team.
“Our whole team just loves being here,” Berry said. “They love hanging around the guys, and they love getting better. And our coaches, too, are always high-spirit guys. So I think a good part of it is, I just show up every day and I’m ready to have fun and have a good time.”
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