An endless number of thoughts might run through the mind of a college baseball player when they’re at the plate.
Sit fastball. Is his curveball landing? See it deep. Adjust for off-speed. Does he throw a changeup in this count? Do I commit if it’s above the belt?
Virginia Tech catcher Henry Cooke’s head likely sounded something like that early this season when, at his worst, he was batting 2-for-36 (.056) with 18 strikeouts. The occasional barreled ball would typically make its way to an outfielder’s glove, many times at the warning track.
“I was just thinking too much,” Cooke said. “It was all mental.”
As an MLB Draft hopeful and one of just three four-year seniors on Tech’s roster — and the only one with significant playing time this season — Cooke’s slump was costly. He went 1-for-11 in the Hokies’ five losses before ACC play (and was benched against Tennessee), with many of those at-bats coming as a top-of-the-order hitter on a team desperate for momentous swings.
Cooke’s decline didn’t show any signs of ending until the 14th game of the season, when he hit 2-for-3 with a home run against Georgia Tech. He still struck out in six of his next seven at-bats.
“When you’re slumping, there are so many things you’re fighting mentally going into an at-bat, and you start to overthink,” Hokies associate head coach Kurt Elbin said. “He was trying to balance how much not to care versus caring too much, and being completely results-driven. Those things get in the way of having success.”
However, after numerous sit-downs with Elbin, the Stuarts Draft native began simplifying his approach — or more accurately, stripping it down. Cooke began to sprinkle in hits while lowering his whiff rates.
“I told him, ‘Hey, man, you’ve got to trust your process,’” Elbin said. “‘If you’re seeing the ball well, not so caught up in making decisions, but just getting it on the barrel, things are going to start to turn in your direction.’”
In other words: Do what you’ve always done. Stop thinking.
Cooke recorded a base hit and a double in two games against Virginia. He hit once in every game of Tech’s series against Duke, and against Stanford last weekend, he was 4-for-7 with a home run, two doubles, five walks and four RBI. Through 12 ACC games, he now leads the Hokies in batting average (.353), slugging (.618) and on-base percentage (.452).
In Tech’s most recent non-conference game against Radford — the sort of matchups Cooke is still batting .233 in — he mashed a three-run home run and walked once.
“I don’t ever think now,” Cooke said. “I just stick to a plan and follow it. I put the beginning of the season past me. I know it’s not the type of hitter I am.”
But baseball is chess-like by nature. How can you get away with not thinking?
“If you’re really prepared for your at-bat and you know exactly what you’re seeking, what you’re hunting, you don’t have to think,” Elbin said. “If you’re in a spot where you’re down 0-1 and you’re like, ‘He might throw me a breaker, he might throw me a heater,’ and you’re thinking about what he threw the guy before you, that’s when you get in between. That creates too much thinking.”
Cooke’s at-bats weren’t the only times his mind wandered in counterproductive directions. Elbin believes that a rough 2025 for the then-junior spilled into the beginning of his senior season.
He wasn’t selected in last year’s MLB Draft — his first as an eligible draftee — after a below-average season for his standards, one in which he dealt with a nagging injury throughout.
He batted .277, down from a .296 rate in his sophomore and freshman seasons, while also slugging nearly 70 points lower than he did as a sophomore. All of the above likely impacted his draft stock, even as a routinely strong defender.
“I think he was a little disappointed that he’s still in college, to be completely honest,” Elbin said. “Early in the year, it was like, ‘Hey, I shouldn’t be here. I’m mad about it and I’m not having success.’ That can build up a little bit.”
Through a more optimistic approach — and simply getting to see more balls fall between gaps and get out of the park — those thoughts have also subsided. Cooke is sure of the kind of hitter he is now.
“Talking to Elbin has gotten me back on the right track,” Cooke said. “We talked a lot about positivity and not getting too down on yourself when things aren’t going your way.”
If Cooke continues his tear at the plate while remaining a reliable backstop, the tools and talent are in place for his luck to turn around next draft. For now, though, he’s playing with the experience the Hokies need at 1-3 in ACC series, with a bulk of the season yet to play.
“I give the kid credit,” Elbin said. “This is the most in-tune and engaged he’s been in terms of how guys are pitching him, watching video, etc. He’s doing everything he needs to do to finish this season and have a really good senior year. I think he can rest his head on a pillow at night and be proud of that.”
Virginia Tech’s season continues this weekend at Miami, with Game 1 beginning Friday at 7 p.m. ET., Game 2 on Saturday at 6 p.m. and Game 3 at 1 p.m. on Sunday.