AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria University athletic department is pleased to announce the hiring of Rob Cooper as the new head baseball coach. Cooper brings with him over 30 years of baseball coaching experience, spending 25 of those years at the NCAA Division I level.
Cooper is excited to join the Gyrenes and help mentor the players, not just on the diamond, but off the field as well. "My dad [passed] when I was a freshman in high school. So, at a time in my life when I needed male mentors and leaders to help teach me, it was my coaches. So, for me, coaching has always been about the relationships and the opportunity to make an impact on young people. [Add that to] a place like Ave Maria with the faith, it was just an opportunity that I was like 'I can't pass this up.'"
Cooper has been a head coach twice in his illustrious college baseball career, spending nine seasons with the Wright State Raiders in the Horizon League and 10 seasons with the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten. At Wright State, he coached the Raiders to seven 30-win seasons, winning two Horizon League Regular Season Championships and three Horizon League Tournament Championships. He was also named the Horizon League Coach of the Year twice, in 2010 and 2011.
At Penn State, by just his third season, Cooper had doubled the Nittany Lions year to year win total, posting a record of 28-27. In 2015, he helped Penn State become the first U.S. baseball team at any level to defeat a Cuban National Series team when the Nittany Lions took a four-game trip to the island following the restoration of diplomatic ties with Cuba and the United States.
"We are thrilled to be able to hire a coach of Rob's caliber and experience to lead our baseball program," said athletic director John Weisbrod. "We look forward to his leadership in building upon the great progress achieved during the 2025 campaign. At Ave Maria, Rob will have a unique opportunity to positively impact the lives and careers of many student athletes."
Most recently, Cooper spent two years at his alma mater, the University of Miami, as the Director of Program Development. This past season, the Hurricanes made it to the NCAA Super Regional and were one win away from making it to the College World Series for the first time since 2016.
The Ave Maria Gyrenes were in a very similar spot to Miami this past season, also coming up just one win shy of the NAIA World Series. It was the third ever trip to the National Tournament for the Gyrenes as they posted their third winning record in four years.
