Jack Brooker

Niwot pitcher Jack Brooker made quick work of The Academy lineup in the first inning of a 10-8 Cougar win April 30.

After retiring the leadoff hitter on a lazy fly ball to centerfielder Brock Rothstein, the next batter beat out a soft grounder in the infield. Brooker then picked the runner off first base with a quick move to first baseman Julian Lettow, who ran the runner toward second base where shortstop Jed Kilpatrick applied the tag. Brooker finished the inning by striking out the next batter to retire the side.

In the bottom of the first inning, Brooker, who bats third in the Cougar lineup, doubled to right-centerfield for the first hit of the game. He later added another ground-rule double to centerfield, and scored a run. Brooker was the winning pitcher, posting 13 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings when he was lifted due to the pitch count.

"I've always played baseball since I was a kid," Brooker said. "I started playing T-ball when I was five or six years old." Later, when the rules allowed it, he started pitching at nine or ten, saying, "I've always liked pitching because you're controlling the game, I love the pressure. But it's fun."

Brooker said his family and his coaches have been the most influential people in his baseball career. "My dad taught me the game of baseball, and coached a few of my teams when I was younger," the senior said.

His coaches are quick to praise Brooker's skills, effort and leadership. "He is such a good leader - not many words or much of a 'rah-rah' type, but shows up every day to work hard and do his best to help the team," Assistant Coach Todd Kidder said. "Jack doesn't wait for someone else to do what needs to be done. He'll carry a bucket of balls, rake the field, fix the mound, or anything else, usually without being asked. We couldn't ask for a better representative for the Niwot Cougars."

Head Coach Ken Rosales echoed Kidder's comments. "He is a great person as well as great leader. Jack always is the first to step up and get things done, always willing to help with whatever is needed and always the last to leave. To me he is the model athlete."

Brooker has aspirations of playing beyond high school. "My dad played at Marietta College in Ohio," he said. His plan is to spend next year doing post-grad baseball training in Arizona, where his sister is in college at Grand Canyon University. "It's baseball heaven there because of the weather," he said.

The Covid-era has produced a back-log of players with an extra year of college eligibility. That, combined with the new transfer portal rules, convinced Brooker to take a year off from school. "Once I go to college, I plan to major in business, with an emphasis in sport management," he said.

At Niwot, his favorite class is anatomy and physiology. "As an athlete, I find that class pretty helpful," he said. Statistics is also a favorite, and he follows the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds in baseball.

When he's not on the baseball field, Brooker enjoys golf, mountain biking and other outdoor activities. He played basketball and swam in his younger days. "Swimming helps with technique, as you have to be fluid," he said.

The cross-training has paid off as Brooker is hitting .481 on the season, with 15 runs scored, seven doubles, three homers and 16 RBI. When he's not pitching, Brooker has seen action at first base and in the outfield. On the mound he has struck out 45 batters in 24 and one-third innings, for an average of almost two per inning pitched.