Saints Grad Named Big East Pitcher of the Year

Ian Cooke ’21 graduated from Canterbury armed for success—and now his right arm has guided him to major accomplishments in college baseball. This past season Ian was named Big East Pitcher of the Year in helping lead the Division I University of Connecticut Huskies to their fourth consecutive regular season conference title.  

His stellar season included a 5-1 record, 4.25 ERA, 85 strikeouts in 65.2 innings pitched, and a minuscule .218 batting average against. In five starts against Big East opponents, Ian was even better, posting a 3-0 record and 2.70 ERA. In addition to his Pitcher of the Year honor, he was also named to the All-Big East First Team. UConn ended up qualifying for the NCAA tournament, where Ian pitched the Huskies to an opening game 4-1 win over Duke University before dropping his next start to 8th seed Florida State University.

A standout pitcher for four seasons at Canterbury under Head Coach Todd Mathewson, Ian was named a Top-15 high school player in Connecticut by Collegiate Baseball and ranked as the state’s number 10 prospect by the scouting service Perfect Game in 2021.

His current achievements come as no surprise to his former Saints coach. “I am extremely excited about Ian’s success at UConn,” Todd shared. “He grew tremendously as a student and baseball player during his time at Canterbury and has continued to develop on the collegiate level. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for him!” 

No doubt that future has many more wins to come both on and off the baseball diamond. Congratulations, Ian!

Photo credit: UConn Athletics