Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/523134
S tepping through the players' lounge near the team locker room, Rob Coop- er made his way down the hallway that extends through the underpinnings of Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Cooper, the second-year Penn State baseball coach, had watched his Nittany Lions battle one of the best teams in the country the pre- vious three days and told the local beat writers he would return shortly. As is customary, Cooper took the elevator upstairs for his postgame radio interview. And in another developing tradition, Cooper wasn't alone. His 11-year-old son, Jake, accompanied him. The day before, Cooper's older son, Tyson, 14, joined him in the press box. His family is now living full-time in State College, a big change from last year when they were still in Ohio, their home during the nine highly successful seasons Cooper spent at Wright State. His career brought him to Pennsylvania nearly two years ago, although he would return for a day or two whenever he could to watch his sons play in youth baseball games. Once last year, Cooper saw Jake play on a Thursday night before a three-game series at Ohio State. That type of hectic schedule isn't nec- essary anymore because his sons are with him all the time. So it's under- standable that Cooper's voice takes on a more emotional tone as he explains how this year has been different from last season. "It's a lot better," he said. "It's a big deal for me to have them here every day, and I miss a lot of things with them when I'm traveling and coaching other people's kids. It's great to have them in the dugout, and they look up to these guys like they're their big brothers. I'm lucky to have those guys around them." Cooper continued: "The smartest person I know is my wife [Maureen]. I can come home and feel sorry for myself, and she'll tell me after two seconds, 'All right, that's enough. Get over it, and let's go figure it out.' It was tough last year not having them here every day." Jake and Tyson spend plenty of time of time at the ballpark, fielding ground balls and taking swings in the batting cage. After Jake and his dad returned from the postgame interview during Penn State's three-game set against visiting Illinois in late April, he stood amid the beat writers as Cooper talked about competing against the Illini, ranked eighth in the nation at the time. Jake sported a Penn State wardrobe: hat, shirt and sweatshirt. He seemed to un- V A R S I T Y V I E W S FAMILY FRIENDLY Community outreach helps Rob Cooper build a foundation for Penn State's baseball program | FUTURE FOCUSED Penn State went 18- 30 in Cooper's sec- ond season with the program. Photo by Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics