FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
MALIBU, Calif. – Former Texas Tech catcher Cooper Fouts will serve as Pepperdine’s volunteer assistant coach for the upcoming 2010-11 season. Fouts comes to Malibu after spending the last four seasons as an assistant coach at the College of Southern Nevada; where he worked with 2010 Golden Spikes Award winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Harper.
Fouts won’t accept any credit for developing Harper, saying, “the kid was born with talent,” but is proud of the fact that nine CSN pitchers were taken during June’s draft and 14 additional student-athletes were signed-out to NCAA Division I programs over the past year. Among the Coyotes drafted were third-rounder Donn Roach, eighth-rounder Kenny McDowall, and Aaron Kurcz – a 10th round selection by the Chicago Cubs.
In addition to overseeing the development of the catchers and pitchers, Fouts also was responsible for many off-field activities such as scheduling opponents, directing camps, field maintenance, recruiting and placement. He will likely handle many of the same responsibilities in a Pepperdine uniform.
“I’ve known coach (Steve) Rod (Rodriguez) for awhile and I’m excited about the opportunity to work with him on a daily basis,” Fouts said. “I’m also looking forward to working with coaches (Rick) Hirtensteiner and (Jon) Strauss in order to continue building on this great tradition.”
Fouts began his collegiate playing career at CSN in 2002 and helped lead that club to a third-place finish in the conference tournament before moving on to the DI ranks and Texas Tech. While in Lubbock, Fouts quickly became one of the top defensive catchers in the Big 12 as he gunned down stealing runners at an alarming rate and was promoted to that position full-time at the start of his junior year (2004).
Fouts and the Red Raiders (which included current major leaguer Dallas Braden) made the NCAA Tournament that postseason after finishing the year at 40-21 and third in the Big 12 conference at 17-9. Texas Tech was eliminated in the first round by Georgia Tech, but Fouts was named to the NCAA Atlanta Regional All-Tournament Team. In 2005, he was a Big 12 honorable mention selection.
“Cooper is going to be a great addition to this ball club,” Rodriguez said. “I remember watching him during his high school playing days and considered him then as I do now, as a tremendous, high-energy, vocal personality. He’s a real leader and our players are going to benefit immensely from his experience.”
The Indianapolis native graduated from Texas Tech in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise sports science while working as a coach at nearby Lubbock Christian University, then went back to CSN in time for the 2007 season. He graduated from Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High School in 2001.
Fouts and his wife, Bri (Krahenbuhl), were married on July 24 of this year. They live in Agoura Hills.
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