7/17/2022 baseball Edit

Cooper Hjerpe Selected In First Round By St. Louis

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

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CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State left-handed pitcher Cooper Hjerpe has been selected in the first round, 22nd overall, by the St. Louis Cardinals in the MLB First-Year Player Draft on Sunday.

Hjerpe, a Capay, Calif., native, was named the National Pitcher of the Year by multiple organizations in 2022. He finished the season with an 11-2 record and 2.53 earned run average. He struck out a school-record 161 batters, which led the nation, in just 103 1/3 innings of work.

He was selected as a First-Team All-American seven times, becoming just the second Oregon State pitcher – following Jake Thompson in 2017 – to be named a unanimous First-Team All-American.

Hjerpe was also a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy, which are both given annually to the nation’s player of the year.

Hjerpe has pitched in 41 games for the Beavers over three seasons, making 33 starts. He is 15-9 with a 3.37 ERA, striking out 275 in 192 1/3 innings. Opponents have managed only a .197 batting average against him, including a .180 mark in 2022.

He is the 13th Oregon State player to be selected in the first round, and the first pitcher since Drew Rasmussen in 2017.

Hjerpe is the 11th Beaver to be selected by St. Louis, and the first since Dylan Pearce in 2019.