Really solid bullpen from uncommitted RHP Cooper Fuller (Bayport-Blue Point 2025)
Commanded 3 pitches well. Slider dotted on the outside corner to righties consistently. Tough 3/4 arm slot
Had a great summer, compiling a 2.73 ERA over 41 innings with 50 Ks for LI Strong pic.twitter.com/GsxA6ks7MO
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 18, 2024
It’s been another typically dominating season for the Bayport-Blue Point Phantoms. They have a record of 17-0 and have clinched another postseason berth – as they’ve done every year since the turn of the century.
While two of their players (Tyler McKillop and Guytano Kiesel) were named to Axcess Baseball’s Preseason All-Long Island team, it’s been another senior that has made a name for himself with his dominant pitching.
Uncommitted senior RHP Cooper Fuller is 5-0, and has not allowed a run through his first 27.1 innings this season. He allowed just 11 hits. It puts him on the short list of players that could win the coveted Paul Gibson Award – although there is plenty of competition even as the calendar turns to May.
“I’ve always been very confident in my stuff, but the defense behind me has been so good. They really make it super easy. Last game against Center Moriches, I was just basically feeding them ground balls.”
The Phantoms will be looking to capture the League VII Championship. At the time of this interview, they had won their first two games of a critical three-game series against Center Moriches – they went on to sweep. They are hoping to capture their first Suffolk County Championship since the latter of their back-to-back-back titles from 2013-’15.
When asked how the program is able to sustain winning year-over-year, Cooper had the following to say:
“I’ve been playing with these guys since I could hold a bat, and we spend every day together.”
Fuller has already experienced plenty of success this school season – beginning back in the fall on the gridiron as he led BBP to winning the Suffolk County Championship, before losing to Wantagh in the Class IV Long Island Championship to end their 34-game winning streak. Fuller, who was the QB and CB, was named All-County after throwing for 1,543 yards and accounting for 23 touchdowns.
Prior to that, he really excelled in summer ball with the Long Island Strong. He performed well in our showcase tournament at SUNY Maritime. Regarding his time with the Strong, he said, “The coaches are great, the whole organization does a good job. Obviously, I love the players. It’s just a tight-knit group that makes it feel like home.”
Uncommitted RHP Cooper Fuller (Bayport-Blue Point 2025) pic.twitter.com/10ybtmmL4l
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 30, 2024
He is undecided where he will be attending college in the fall, although he has narrowed down his choices to two:
- University of North Dakota
- Florida Institute of Technology
Fuller has his sights set on a career in aviation, and he believes those offer the best programs in the nation.
“Those are the big two,” he said.
But if he continues to throw shutout baseball and lead the Phantoms to the promised land would he be willing to change his mind and continue playing baseball in college?
“It will be hard to give it up, but I’ll always be associated with baseball in some way,” he said.
But first, they have some unfinished business.
“We’ve just been focusing on inning-by-inning, game-by-game. Tomorrow is big for us. We want to be League Champs, so we are just worried about tomorrow.”
Fuller, who cited David Wright as his favorite athlete, made that comment on the eve of the third game of their series against Center Moriches.
His coach, Victor Manzella, who took over just prior to the 2024 season and has now coached three teams (Babylon, West Babylon) to the Suffolk County Finals, had the following to say:
“Cooper exudes confidence. He loves the big spots on the biggest stages. That’s when he thrives. Cooper is a two-sport athlete and was the QB on this year’s Suffolk County Championship football team. He was also a part of the two LIC championships the two years prior to that. We know every time Cooper steps on the mound, he is going to give our team a chance to win. When he’s on, he’s a strikeout pitcher, but even when he’s not at his best, he has confidence in his teammates to play defense behind him. This year, he has not given up a run – earned or unearned. He’s pitched five shutout games this season so he’s 5-0 with 27 Ks in 27.1 IP. At the plate, he is my 3-hitter and is currently batting .368 with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 12 RBIs and 20 runs scored. Cooper is a leader and he goes, we go.”
