Baseball Game Preview: Cooper Bulldogs vs. North Hopkins Panthers

The Cooper Bulldogs will venture away from home to challenge the North Hopkins Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. North Hopkins took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Cooper, who comes in off a win.

Cooper had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the seven-run drubbing they dealt Celeste on Tuesday. Cooper put the hurt on Celeste with a sharp 10-3 win. The victory continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their matchups with the Blue Devils: they've now won six in a row.

Jaret Slakey

Batters Struck Out

03/25/25 vs Celeste	12
03/18/25 @ Wolfe City	9
03/11/25 @ Bland	16

Jaret Slakey was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out 12 batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March of 2024.

In other batting news, Cooper got a massive performance out of Karter Randle, who scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. That's the most stolen bases Randle has posted since back in March of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Brayden Williams, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-4.

Meanwhile, North Hopkins has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 2.17 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Friday. They came up short against Wolfe City, falling 14-2. The Panthers' defeat signaled the end of their seven-game winning streak.

Cooper pushed their record up to 9-4 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for North Hopkins, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 15-3.

Cooper beat North Hopkins 6-2 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cooper since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.