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Jackson senior commits to Evansville baseball
The Jackson High School baseball program continues the tradition of having a future Division I player leading the team.
Rising senior Cooper Rhodes announced on social media on Thursday, July 18, his commitment to the University of Evansville. The Purple Aces went 39-26 and won the Missouri Valley Conference championship, and the Greenville Regional before falling to Tennessee, the eventual national champions, in a three-game Super Regional.
"I would like to thank God for putting me in this position, my friends and family for their support, and all of the coaches who have helped me along the way," Rhodes wrote on his Instagram post, announcing the commitment.
Rhodes finished his junior season with a .382 batting average and a 1.045 OPS in 89 at-bats. He also drove in 20 runs while scoring 30 runs. Rhodes broke the school record in career stolen bases and swiping 28 bags.
"He is one of the best hitters in Missouri in the past two seasons," Jackson head coach Josh Roach said. "He was the leader of our offense, batting in the two-hole. Being a strong Class 6 program, we always see everyone's best arms. He carried us many times."
Rhodes was named a finalist for the Semoball Awards after leading Jackson to a 25-8 record and a SEMO Conference championship. Rhodes played with pitcher John-Paul Sauer, who won the Semoball Award for Comeback Player of the Year and is starting his freshman year at Tulane. The previous year, he was a key contributor alongside St. Louis' Baden Hackworth and Missouri State's Caden Bogenpohl in 2023, when the Indians went 34-7 and finished third in Class 6 for the first time in school history.
I learned a lot from those guys last year, and they really took me in because they knew that I was going to help these guys out right here, Rhodes said earlier this past season. It was a great experience.