Before They Headed a City Leagues Draft Class . . .

Before He Headed the City Leagues' 2012 Draft Class . . .

This story concerns Malvern Prep product Tim Cooney, a 2009 grad
and lefthanded pitcher who went on to star at Wake Forest. In the 2012
baseball draft, he was the first Public/Catholic/Inter-Ac product to be
picked (third round, Cardinals). This story about Tim was written in
2008, his junior season.

Cooney keeps his head in game as Malvern Prep wins

Apr 23, 2008

By TED SILARY silaryt@phillynews.com

Tim Cooney is quite the thinking man's pitcher.

Lest there be any doubt, these were the first words out of Cooney's mouth after he was asked to detail the enjoyment/challenge he gets out of pitching:

"Hmm, let me think about that for a second. "

Time's up.

"I love the fact that, as a pitcher, you're really in control," he said. "A lot of what goes into the outcome has to do with how the pitcher throws. It's fun being such a big factor. "

And the good vibrations are pretty much a constant.

Even as a sophomore, Cooney was impressive enough to garner co-MVP honors in the Inter-Ac League and earn second-team honors on the Daily News All-City list.

No beats have been skipped. Yesterday, the 6-2, 175-pound junior lefthander twirled a four-hitter (all singles) with 12 strikeouts and only one walk as visiting Malvern bested Penn Charter, 5-1.

Among the spectators: Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, who's about to become a very rich man thanks to the NFL draft. His two brothers are part of PC's squad - John as the leftfielder, Mike as an assistant to coach Rick Mellor.

Cooney was too busy to stargaze. Now if Cole Hamels had been in attendance . . .

"That's my favorite," he said. "That's why I wear No. 35. I love his talent and the way he approaches things. I got his autograph last summer at a Phillies game.

"Nah, I didn't say anything about being a pitcher, and that he's my idol. He was walking along in front of the first-base stands, like they do before games, and I just asked him to sign a baseball I had. It's in my room now. "

Cooney is routinely eyed by Division I coaches and major league scouts. They love that his velocity is already mid-80s respectable and that his savvy resembles a graybeard's.

In this one, it's likely only a shade more than half of his 105 pitches were fastballs.

"If you just pump fastballs in there, people are eventually going to catch up," Cooney said. "The more you mix it up, the better the results are going to be.

"Especially toward the end, as my fastball lost a little steam, I was relying even more on off-speed stuff. All day, really, my primary concern was to throw first-pitch strikes [usually with fastballs] and then mix it up. "

Though Cooney was strictly a pitcher last season, he asked coach Mike Hickey for a shot at double duty and was told he also could become a part-time first baseman by hitting well during the Friars' 10-game stay in Florida. (Check this out: Malvern is 24-1 overall and is scheduled for 22 more games! )

Mission definitely accomplished. Cooney now hits cleanup.

After walking twice, he launched a drive to deep center and fanned on a seventh-inning curve from reliever Kenny Koplove, a 5-8, 115-pound, 14-year-old eighth-grader. A man (well, boy) of many delivery angles, including submarine, Koplove is the brother of ex-major leaguer Mike Koplove, now at Triple A Las Vegas in the Dodgers' system.

Of his whiff, Cooney said with a smile: "That wasn't fun. I sure didn't expect that to happen. "

Koplove plunked Chris "Goose" Gosik to start his one-inning stint, then whiffed Cooney, Mike Lubanski (two RBI singles; he's the brother of Royals prospect Chris Lubanski) and Nick Busillo.

"That kid's pretty good for an eighth-grader," Cooney said.

PC's starter was junior righty Billy O'Boyle, a true soft-tosser. His downfall was the sixth, during which a disputed call on an advancement on a wild pitch - base ump Russ Lickfield claimed shortstop Mark Rhine did not make a tag - enabled Malvern to mount a one-out, runners-on-second-and-third uprising.

Leon Stimpson was issued an intentional walk. Lefty pinch-hitter Alex Olah, in the No. 9 hole, laced a three-run triple to left-center and was gunned out at home as he tried for an inside-the-park homer.

When Cooney, who lives in Collegeville, looks at Koplove, he almost sees himself. It wasn't too long ago - um, last year, in fact - that some observers playfully likened him to an eighth-grader.

"When I do get bigger, I'm hoping my fastball will really be powerful," he said. "I lift weights, but I'm not gaining [size]. I'm not really worried about it. I think it'll happen just from natural maturity. "

There's that word again. Tim Cooney . Always thinking. (And producing results.)