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Penn State Baseball Coach Rob Cooper Resigns
Penn State baseball coach Rob Cooper has announced his resignation after 10 seasons with the program. Cooper's resignation is effective at season's end, the athletic department said in a statement. Penn State said it will conduct a national search for a new baseball coach.
Penn State was unable to capitalize on last season's trip to the Big Ten tournament, its first since 2012. The Lions finished the season with a 25-25 record and went 7-16 in the Big Ten. They defeated No. 20 Maryland 5-3 on Friday to end a nine-game losing streak.
"I am beyond grateful for my time as the head baseball coach at Penn State," Cooper said in a statement. "This is a special place, because of the special people who make it up. My family and I love Penn State. While I am disappointed I wasn't able to get the baseball program the success it deserves, I am excited about the vision [athletic director Patrick] Kraft has for Penn State Athletics, the student-athletes and the baseball program. Penn State baseball is in good hands. The next coach will love Penn State, the people and the community as much as my family has. I wish our players nothing but success and happiness."
Cooper, who replaced Robbie Wine in 2014, took over with a goal of returning the Lions to the College World Series for the first time since 1973. Cooper's best season was 2016, when the Lions went 28-27, 12-12 in the Big Ten. In 2022, Penn State qualified for the Big Ten tournament for the time in a decade. The Lions beat Iowa before falling to Rutgers and Iowa in an elimination game to finish the season 26-29.
"We appreciate Rob Cooper for all he has done for the Penn State community these last 10 seasons," Kraft said in a statement. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for Rob for not only the commitment he made to our baseball program, but also the way he represented Penn State University with class."
Cooper's teams sent 13 players to Major League Baseball, 12 of whom were drafted. Most recently, Milwaukee selected catcher Matt Wood in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, making him the highest-drafted position player in program history.
Cooper has 197 career wins over 10 seasons as Penn State's head coach.
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.