A COBB and a KOPP, interesting.......
Cobb makes quick pitch — Clemson
The Vero Beach High School all-state pitcher verbally commits to the ACC power.
By Kevin Van Brimmer
staff writer
July 19, 2005
VERO BEACH — Alex Cobb has the kind of right arm most elite college baseball programs trip over each other trying to sign.
Clemson got lucky — it was the first big-time baseball school to host the soon-to-be Vero Beach senior on a visit and never gave another school the chance to court the second team all-state hurler.
Advertisementays after returning from his visit to Clemson in South Carolina, Cobb verbally committed to the Tigers last Tuesday.
"I went to (the University of South Florida) and was going to go to LSU, but once I saw Clemson I fell in love with it," said Cobb, who garnered all-state honors in Class 6A.
In addition to USF and LSU, Cobb said he was also considering Stetson. But once Clemson, a perennial NCAA powerhouse, made their scholarship offer, Cobb was in.
It's not difficult to see why. Clemson was 43-23 last year and made its 19th straight NCAA tournament appearance. Cobb said he was told by Jack Leggett's coaching staff that Baseball America has the Tigers ranked No. 3 in the nation for next spring.
Of course, Cobb won't be there quite that soon. He's still got an encore season at Vero Beach High School awaiting him. He'll be coming off an 8-2 year in which he posted a 0.62 ERA and struck out a school-record 139 hitters in 90 innings.
Cobb allowed just 37 hits and eight earned runs.
Committing so early to his college future doesn't concern Cobb, either.
"It's a great baseball school and they're in the top 20 in academics," said Cobb, who doesn't yet know what he plans to study. "(Committing early) was pretty much for the benefit of their recruiting guys. The earlier you commit, the less guys they have to go out for. Now that they have me, they have a right-handed pitcher for my class and they can go out and start looking at other guys for other positions."
Jeff Steinman, Cobb's coach at Vero Beach, said he was happy to hear his star hurler would be playing at the Atlantic Coast Conference school.
"It's a big step and a good fit," Steinman said. "They have an outstanding program and are getting a very fine athlete. It's uncharted territory for our program. ... We've never had a player at Clemson."
As for his remaining year of high school, Cobb said it will be business as usual, including football in the fall. Cobb is penciled in as the starting quarterback for the Fighting Indians and said the Tigers have no problem with that.
"They were really supportive of football," Cobb said. "They really encouraged the two-sport thing."
- kevin.vanbrimmer
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