Twice as nice: Cooley works to increase his stock in baseball, football
Warren Arceneaux
Kinder High’s Griffin Cooley, a two-sport star, has already helped the Yellow Jackets reach the big stage in football.
Now he says helping the baseball team return to the state tournament in baseball and earning a chance to play at the next level are atop his wish list for his last two years at the school.
Last year Cooley played quarterback, slotback and defensive back while helping the Jackets reach the Class 2A championship game. In baseball, he doubles as a left-handed starting pitcher and outfielder. Last year he helped the Jackets reach the quarterfinals of the playoffs.
On Thursday he was the starting pitcher in Team Louisiana Ardoin’s 5-4 win over Arbelos Baseball at the New Balance Future Stars Series tournament. In the first game of the tournament, he had a double, triple and drove in a pair of runs.
After Thursday’s game he said pitching is where he hopes to grow over the summer.
“I want to be a little bit better on the bump,” he said. “I had a good game today but I would like to pound the zone more. I think I’m pretty good at mixing pitches up and getting ground outs. I throw a curve, slider, four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball and a changeup.”
When not on the mound, Cooley’s athleticism shines.
“I run well and can track balls down in the outfield,” he said. “At the plate, I am seeing the ball well and am using my speed to get extra bases. I’m working on hitting the ball hard. Playing college baseball is my goal so I’m trying to attract some attention. I’m swinging the bat well, running the bases well and playing with a lot of confidence.”
In football, Cooley threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 219 yards and three touchdowns, including a score in the state championship game loss to Many.
“I want to become a better player and teammate in football,” he said. “Getting to the state championship last year was a great experience. I feel my strengths are similar to baseball. I can run, I’m also physical and like to hit people. Hopefully I can get some football offers for college too.”
Kinder’s Griffin Cooley had a double, triple and two RBIs for Team Louisiana-Ardoin in a game against Knights Knation Marucci 16U Black at the Future Stars Wednesday night in Moss Bluff. Cooley is a two-sport athlete at Kinder High School.