Cooper Baxter

Watching his team reach the NCAA Division II baseball championship game was a lot of fun for Cooper Baxter.

But it wasn’t enough.

The Butler graduate and Indiana (Pa.) University sophomore sees baseball as more of a participation sport than a spectator sport. So he decided to enter the transfer portal despite the Crimson Hawks polishing off a 41-18 season with a 7-3 loss to Angelo State (Texas) in the title game of the Division II World Series in Cary, N.C.

“It was great being a part of that, to see the transformation of the program,” Baxter said. “But I want to play baseball as a position player. Coach (Steve) Kline is interested in me solely as a pitcher. I want more than that.

“I’m fine with coming in to pitch relief for a couple of innings here and there, as long as I can play another position every day.”

Baxter saw little action in his two seasons at IUP. He hit .320 his junior year at Butler, following that up by hitting .281 as a senior with four home runs. Of his 34 hits those two seasons, 19 were for extra bases.

Baxter said he will know his next college destination around July 4. There are a few schools expressing interest in him.

“I’m hoping to stay in the PSAC,” he said. “It’s a competitive league, and I want to play competitive baseball.”

Baxter pitched only 14 2/3 innings this season, going 2-0 despite a 10.43 earned run average in 11 appearances. He was 1-3 with a 5.87 ERA his freshman year, striking out 21 in 23 innings.

“Cooper has a lot of confidence in his abilities,” Butler baseball coach Josh Forbes said. “He’s looking for a chance to prove himself.”

Baxter missed both fall ball seasons in his two years at IUP. He tore a ligament in his throwing shoulder as a freshman and sprained a thumb as a sophomore. Both injuries kept him out until the regular season began in the spring.

“That’s 12 weeks of baseball there that I didn’t get,” Baxter said. “It was a critical 12 weeks in that fall ball is where a recruited player shows he was a smart choice by the coaches and demonstrates his ability to play at that level.

“I never got that time. I felt like I was constantly playing catch-up. I have a lot of respect for Coach Kline and what he’s done there. IUP was 2-35 the year they recruited me. He’s completely reversed that program. But it wasn’t going to work out for me there.”

While Baxter played shortstop and pitched at Butler, he’s playing third base for the Butler Iron Bucks this summer. He expects to play a corner infield position for his remaining college years.

“Cooper is a team player all the way,” Iron Bucks manager Leo Piccini said. “He’s a very coachable kid. He carries himself with a professional approach to baseball.”

Studying to be as physician’s assistant, Baxter still has lofty goals in baseball.

“I want to make All-American, be a conference Player of the Year,” he said. “I know that talent’s in there. It’s up to me to bring it out.”