A high-leverage moment in the NCAA Tournament? There's a good chance you'll see a burly lefty named Riley Cooper trotting out to the mound, if he isn't there already.
After his clutch closing performance in a second consecutive elimination environment, Cooper has now appeared in five of LSU's nine games since the tournament began.
His stats? 12.1 innings, 2 earned runs, 7 hits, 12 strikeouts. Not bad for a guy whom ace Paul Skenes described as a "funky lefty," and one that certainly doesn't have an arsenal that could be described as overpowering.
So why is it that LSU coach Jay Johnson trusts Cooper so implicitly in these environments? Well, first off: He's a big dude, he's strong, and that helps him recover like he did after a 3-inning stint on Tuesday for another key outing on Wednesday.
"That’s part of what makes him him," Johnson said, "is the stuff that shows up."
The pitcher himself was asked about his method for recovery, and it wasn't a complicated one.
“A lot of water and sleep," Cooper said. "I try to sleep as much as I can and I just show up. I feel good.”
But there's another inherent quality that Johnson trusts as well, and it's one that he first saw in 2021 when Cooper was on his Arizona Wildcats roster that qualified for the CWS. Cooper entered the NCAA Transfer Portal and followed Johnson to Baton Rouge prior to the 2022 season.
"It’s not about spin rate right now," Johnson said. "It’s not about velocity. It’s about pitch execution and winners, and he is a winner, and that’s why I believe in him.”
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It's unclear if Cooper would be available on Thursday to appear in a third consecutive game, but one way or another the Tigers will be facing off against Wake Forest in a winner-take-all rematch. That game will likely feature the premiere matchup in the entire tournament, with Paul Skenes and Rhett Louder expected to face off, each on short rest.
But if these last two days have proven anything, it's that Johnson isn't just blowing smoke when he says he believes his pitching staff and bullpen is among the best in the nation. They're showing that for themselves on the biggest stage possible.
"I think the best coach that any player is going to have in their life is playing time and being through some of that," Johnson said. So when you look back at a couple of speedbumps, I think about Auburn and Mississippi State, we didn’t want to waste those losses or failures, and I think we learned a lot of things."
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