Cooper Wolf, Windthorst’s Silent Assassin

Windthorst senior Cooper Wolf is a man of few words but as someone that’s been through the fire with the Trojans, when he talks, his teammates listen.

“The thing about Cooper is he’s really quiet,” Trojans head coach Scott Belcher said. “He’s so mature. He’s an old soul. He’s a great kid. He’s fun to be around and has a great sense of humor. You don’t really get to see that unless you’re around him a lot. He’s really talented. He’s a leader. He’s not going to do the ‘rah-rah’ stuff but he’s talented enough to do that.”

That talent and passion for the game was not always there for Wolf. He admits despite playing since the third grade, he did not find the game enjoyable until after he got to high school.

“Growing up I didn’t really like it but in high school I really started to fall in love with it,” Wolf said.

Belcher highlighted Wolf’s coachability as one of the credits to his success on the hardwood and on the baseball diamond.

“You can tell it’s slowing down for him a little bit. The biggest thing with him is he’s coachable. A lot of kids that have physical talent are not as coachable as you would like. Things we would see once he got to high school and started working with him is he would take what we said and put it into play. He didn’t let it go in one ear and out the other. He’s done a really good job of taking what we’re giving him and working with that. Since he’s gotten to high school, he’s gotten better and better and better.”

After playing center and batting in the No. 9 hole last season, with the departure of last year’s senior class, Wolf is enjoying a move to shortstop and a trip to the top of the lineup as the No. 2 hitter. More importantly, he now sits at the front of the rotation, expected to be one of the aces on the mound for Windthorst.

“Shortstop is a little new but I think I’ll figure it out,” the senior said.

“He’s going to have to be one of the top dogs on the mound and he’s moved up to the No. 2 hole,” Belcher added. “It’s been a smooth transition. We’re expecting big things from him.”

Wolf has embraced the leadership role on a team loaded with underclassmen, trying to help the Trojans’ future as best as possible.

“I want to help the younger kids. There’s a lot of underclassmen coming up in the spotlight and I want to teach them what I know.”

His head coach could not emphasize enough how great of a kid the Trojans senior is.

“He’s the kind of kid we’re looking for. He’s first and foremost a good person. He’s going to be a good dad and a great husband.”

After graduation, Wolf plans to go to Midwestern State and wants to become an accountant. Once he’s left Trojanland, he has not given much thought as to the legacy he wants to leave behind.

“I don’t really worry about how I’m going to be remembered. I guess I would just want it to be someone who always had a smile on their face and was focused on the bigger things in life.”