Former Pepperdine recruiting coordinator and Indiana native Cooper Fouts joined Purdue baseball as an assistant coach in July 2018. After being hired by and working under Mark Wasikowski during the 2018-19 school year, Greg Goff chose to retain Fouts as an assistant when Goff was elevated to head coach at Purdue in June 2019. The 2020-21 school year was his third season with the Boilermakers.
Fouts has 16 seasons of collegiate coaching experience, highlighted by five seasons over two stints at Pepperdine (2011-12, 2016-18). At Purdue, Fouts leads the recruiting efforts alongside the rest of the Purdue staff. In addition, Fouts coaches and develops Boilermaker catchers and assists with the Purdue offense.
Fouts was born in Kokomo, Indiana, living there until his family moved to Indianapolis in 1990. He has three aunts that are Purdue alumnae and a cousin that is a current student. He attended high school in Las Vegas after his family moved west in 1994.
“My family and I are very grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Boilermaker Baseball family,” Fouts says. “When you combine a world class education and playing in the Big Ten, Purdue University is an unbelievable choice for any student-athlete looking to excel. Boiler Up!!”
Purdue's 2021 season was filled with a unique blend of accomplishments and oddities, which proved fitting within the context of the unprecedented conference-only schedule the Big Ten required its teams to play. Four different Purdue players hit a grand slam. Dating back to 2017, the Boilermakers had hit just two slams. Purdue hit three sets of back-to-back home runs, including the first set in the history of Alexander Field. Dating back to 2011, the Boilermakers had gone back-to-back only once.
The Boilermakers fielded one of their best outfields in recent history. Corner outfielders and All-Big Ten honorees Ben Nisle and Miles Simington were the team's top offensive performers, giving Purdue a pair of all-conference honorees in the outfield for the first time in a decade. Nisle became just the second Boilermaker of the BBCOR bat era (since 2011) to post a 1.000 OPS. Mike Bolton Jr. was a perfect 17-for-17 on stolen base attempts and was named an All-Big Ten performer at designated hitter. Bolton was Purdue's first sophomore named All-Big Ten since 2011 and the first Boilermaker DH recognized since 2006. Bolton will move into the outfield in 2022 while remaining a constant at the top of the lineup.
Catcher Zac Fascia threw out 18 base stealers in 2019, leading the Big Ten. The work of Bryce Bonner and Fascia behind the plate also helped the Purdue pitchers set single-season team records for strikeouts (477) and Ks per nine innings (9.10). Fascia went on to play in the new MLB Draft League in the summer of 2021 after graduating as the program's first three-year fulltime starter behind the plate since future big leaguer Kevin Plawecki (2010-12).
Two of the Boilermakers' National Letter of Intent signees were selected in the first seven rounds of the 2019 MLB Draft.
Fouts graduated from Las Vegas’ baseball powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School in 2001. He was selected in the 26th round of the MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics, but opted to enroll at the College of Southern Nevada. After one season, he made the move to the Division I level. He played in over 150 games as a three-year starting catcher for Texas Tech from 2003 to 2005.
Fouts helped Pepperdine win West Coast Conference titles in 2012 and 2018. He worked under current Baylor head coach Steve Rodriguez during his first term with the Waves.
Current Pepperdine head coach Rick Hirtensteiner brought Fouts back to Malibu in the summer of 2015. Fouts has also served as an assistant coach at Utah Valley (2013-15), College of Southern Nevada (2007-10) and Lubbock Christian University (2006). His final season at CSN featured Bryce Harper winning the Golden Spikes Award and being selected No. 1 overall in the 2010 MLB Draft. The Coyotes won 52 games and finished third at JUCO World Series that season.
In Lubbock, Fouts caught future big leaguer Dallas Braden as well as his brother Nathan during his three seasons as a Red Raider.
In his second stint at Pepperdine, Fouts’ recruits helped the program post an 11-win improvement in 2018. The Waves won the WCC with a 17-10 record after being 8-19 the year prior. Pepperdine’s 2012 team won 36 games and was a finalist at the Palo Alto Regional.
Pepperdine had multiple players drafted for seven consecutive seasons. All-American utility man Jordan Qsar, who led the WCC with 63 RBI and also recorded seven saves, headlined the Waves’ 2018 draftees.
Fouts also served as a recruiting coordinator at Utah Valley, where he helped the Wolverines win 71 games over three seasons. But more importantly, he helped build a roster that went on to lead UVU to 37 wins and an NCAA Regional berth in 2016 as the Western Athletic Conference Tournament champion.
In Fouts’ final season at College of Southern Nevada, nine pitchers were drafted that June and 14 more student-athletes were signed by NCAA Division I programs. CSN won three conference titles, two Region 18 championships and Western District tournament in 2010 during his four seasons on the coaching staff.
Fouts was part of a pair of NCAA Tournament wins as a junior at Texas Tech. He helped TTU’s 2004 team win 40 games and earn the No. 2 seed at the Atlanta Regional. As the Red Raiders’ starting catcher in all four games of the regional, he helped TTU defeat Mississippi State twice and earned a spot on the All-Regional Team. He was recognized as honorable mention All-Big 12 as a senior after again being among the top defensive backstops and top-throwing catchers in the league.
Fouts earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise sports science from Texas Tech in 2006. He and his wife, Bri, were married in 2010 and have three children – Harper, Emmit and Nash.
Fouts has 16 seasons of collegiate coaching experience, highlighted by five seasons over two stints at Pepperdine (2011-12, 2016-18). At Purdue, Fouts leads the recruiting efforts alongside the rest of the Purdue staff. In addition, Fouts coaches and develops Boilermaker catchers and assists with the Purdue offense.
Fouts was born in Kokomo, Indiana, living there until his family moved to Indianapolis in 1990. He has three aunts that are Purdue alumnae and a cousin that is a current student. He attended high school in Las Vegas after his family moved west in 1994.
“My family and I are very grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Boilermaker Baseball family,” Fouts says. “When you combine a world class education and playing in the Big Ten, Purdue University is an unbelievable choice for any student-athlete looking to excel. Boiler Up!!”
Purdue's 2021 season was filled with a unique blend of accomplishments and oddities, which proved fitting within the context of the unprecedented conference-only schedule the Big Ten required its teams to play. Four different Purdue players hit a grand slam. Dating back to 2017, the Boilermakers had hit just two slams. Purdue hit three sets of back-to-back home runs, including the first set in the history of Alexander Field. Dating back to 2011, the Boilermakers had gone back-to-back only once.
The Boilermakers fielded one of their best outfields in recent history. Corner outfielders and All-Big Ten honorees Ben Nisle and Miles Simington were the team's top offensive performers, giving Purdue a pair of all-conference honorees in the outfield for the first time in a decade. Nisle became just the second Boilermaker of the BBCOR bat era (since 2011) to post a 1.000 OPS. Mike Bolton Jr. was a perfect 17-for-17 on stolen base attempts and was named an All-Big Ten performer at designated hitter. Bolton was Purdue's first sophomore named All-Big Ten since 2011 and the first Boilermaker DH recognized since 2006. Bolton will move into the outfield in 2022 while remaining a constant at the top of the lineup.
Catcher Zac Fascia threw out 18 base stealers in 2019, leading the Big Ten. The work of Bryce Bonner and Fascia behind the plate also helped the Purdue pitchers set single-season team records for strikeouts (477) and Ks per nine innings (9.10). Fascia went on to play in the new MLB Draft League in the summer of 2021 after graduating as the program's first three-year fulltime starter behind the plate since future big leaguer Kevin Plawecki (2010-12).
Two of the Boilermakers' National Letter of Intent signees were selected in the first seven rounds of the 2019 MLB Draft.
Fouts graduated from Las Vegas’ baseball powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School in 2001. He was selected in the 26th round of the MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics, but opted to enroll at the College of Southern Nevada. After one season, he made the move to the Division I level. He played in over 150 games as a three-year starting catcher for Texas Tech from 2003 to 2005.
Fouts helped Pepperdine win West Coast Conference titles in 2012 and 2018. He worked under current Baylor head coach Steve Rodriguez during his first term with the Waves.
Current Pepperdine head coach Rick Hirtensteiner brought Fouts back to Malibu in the summer of 2015. Fouts has also served as an assistant coach at Utah Valley (2013-15), College of Southern Nevada (2007-10) and Lubbock Christian University (2006). His final season at CSN featured Bryce Harper winning the Golden Spikes Award and being selected No. 1 overall in the 2010 MLB Draft. The Coyotes won 52 games and finished third at JUCO World Series that season.
In Lubbock, Fouts caught future big leaguer Dallas Braden as well as his brother Nathan during his three seasons as a Red Raider.
In his second stint at Pepperdine, Fouts’ recruits helped the program post an 11-win improvement in 2018. The Waves won the WCC with a 17-10 record after being 8-19 the year prior. Pepperdine’s 2012 team won 36 games and was a finalist at the Palo Alto Regional.
Pepperdine had multiple players drafted for seven consecutive seasons. All-American utility man Jordan Qsar, who led the WCC with 63 RBI and also recorded seven saves, headlined the Waves’ 2018 draftees.
Fouts also served as a recruiting coordinator at Utah Valley, where he helped the Wolverines win 71 games over three seasons. But more importantly, he helped build a roster that went on to lead UVU to 37 wins and an NCAA Regional berth in 2016 as the Western Athletic Conference Tournament champion.
In Fouts’ final season at College of Southern Nevada, nine pitchers were drafted that June and 14 more student-athletes were signed by NCAA Division I programs. CSN won three conference titles, two Region 18 championships and Western District tournament in 2010 during his four seasons on the coaching staff.
Fouts was part of a pair of NCAA Tournament wins as a junior at Texas Tech. He helped TTU’s 2004 team win 40 games and earn the No. 2 seed at the Atlanta Regional. As the Red Raiders’ starting catcher in all four games of the regional, he helped TTU defeat Mississippi State twice and earned a spot on the All-Regional Team. He was recognized as honorable mention All-Big 12 as a senior after again being among the top defensive backstops and top-throwing catchers in the league.
Fouts earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise sports science from Texas Tech in 2006. He and his wife, Bri, were married in 2010 and have three children – Harper, Emmit and Nash.