ROCK HILL, SC— Winthrop’s head softball coach, Mark Cooke, is set to finish up his coaching career after the 2018 season with the Lady Eagles.
This upcoming season will be Cooke’s 29th and final season at Winthrop. Specifically, this will be his 33rd as a collegiate head coach. Cooke is a three-time Big South Coach of the Year, and has had 829 career wins. In addition, he is the Big South’s all-time leader in conference wins and conference tournament victories.
“He has given so much of himself to this program, and I learned this quickly when I arrived at Winthrop by interacting with some of our players,” Athletic Director Ken Halpin said. “It is clear that they see him as a father figure and someone who passionately cares about their experience and their success.”
Cooke, a 1989 graduate of USC Spartanburg, has turned the Winthrop softball program into a nationally competitive team. With back-to-back Big South Conference Championships in 2007 and 2008, Cooke and his coaching staff has transformed this program into two of the best seasons in the school’s history.
“Coach Cooke has been a part of this program for so long and his retirement is really bittersweet. His knowledge and love for the game is so genuine and he does his best to instill that in all of his players. He not only cares about our success on the field but also in the classroom,” senior Shayna Covington, said. “There is not anything that he wouldn’t do for his players he is very much like our dad away from home helping in any way he can.”
Covington said, “He is really serious and orderly when it comes to practice and games he is one of the sweetest men you will ever meet. I might be graduating and exiting the program the same time as coach Cooke, but I have no doubt that he will be greatly missed and the impact he has had on his players will last a lifetime. “
During Winthrop Athletics time of having Cooke’s as head coach, the Eagles won four Big South Championships. Also, Cooke has mentored and coached 88 All-Big South selections, five Big South Players of the Year, 11-All-Region selections, four CoSIDA Academic All-America selections and one NFCA All-American.
“Coach Cooke exemplifies the type of professional who puts the needs of Winthrop University and Winthrop Softball ahead of his own interests,” Halpin said. “He has become a friend and I anticipate he will continue to support the team long after his retirement – it’s in his blood!”
Winthrop softball will play a 50-game schedule that includes 21 home games for the 2018 seasons.
