Joey Cooper begins his first season as a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the Aggies in 2023.
Cooper comes to Las Cruces after spending a year as a Graduate Assistant Coach at Delta State in Cleveland, Mississippi. With the Statesmen, Cooper helped lead the program to a 32-17 record and a trip to the NCAA South Regional. The regional appearance was the 35th NCAA postseason appearance for a storied Delta State program.
Prior to Delta State, Cooper spent one season in Billings, Montana as a Graduate Assistant Coach for Montana State University Billings.
Cooper is also becoming a staple in the summer collegiate coaching ranks. Thus far, Cooper has worked with both the Portland Pickles and the Bismarck Larks of the Northwoods League. In the summer of 2022, Cooper returned to the Pickles as an Outfield Coach after spending three summers in Portland as a player.
In 2015, the Bakersfield, California native started his collegiate career at Palomar College. He remains ranked sixth all-time in the Palomar baseball record book for batting average after hitting .434 in his sophomore season. Cooper earned All-American honors during his time at Palomar.
After transferring to California State University Northridge, he had his best season with the team as a redshirt junior. In the 2018 season with the Matadors, Cooper scored 35 runs, had 47 hits, six doubles, two triples, five home runs, 31 RBI and a .389 on-base percentage. Cooper ranked fifth nationally in hit by pitches with 21. Cooper graduated in 2019 from CSUN.
Cooper played his summers in the West Coast League for the Portland Pickles, spending three seasons with the team. He leads the team’s all-time records in total games, at-bats and stolen bases.
Cooper earned a master’s degree in Sports Management from Delta State University. Additionally, Cooper earned a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with a focus in Kinesiology from Cal State Northridge in 2019. He is originally a native of Bakersfield, California.
