He's thin. He's fast. He can throw. He can hit and he plays center field.
No - his name is not Dalton McIntyre.
Although mirroring the same stature and playing style of Southern Miss' starting center fielder from last season, Jake Cook is quickly making a name for himself as the next great player to play that position. In Southern Miss' 7-4 series-clinching win over UNC Wilmington on Sunday, Cook put on display his entire skill set as he was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.
Like McIntyre, Cook's key to his game is his speed, which is why the redshirt sophomore understands the comparisons. It's worth noting that Southern Miss also has a rich tradition at center, as four of the last five starters have been taken in the MLB Draft.
"There a lot of comparisons for me," said Cook, who holds a team-leading batting average of .405. "We both have the same type of play style a little bit and we can run. The last two center fielders, even with Matthew Etzel, were really fast too. It's just trying to imitate them a little bit but I play my own style of game.
"The biggest (difference) for me has been confidence. My freshman year was good, but I didn't have the confidence and I couldn't get on the field. This year, I've been more confident, and I've been able to do that."
Like McIntyre, Cook was also originally recruited to pitch while having a chance to play the field. Cook's fastball can reach the mid-90s, but injuries derailed him as he broke his ankle in his freshman year, and then last season, he had to have surgery on his non-throwing arm.
"It's been a long story for him," Southern Miss coach Christian Ostrander said. "We knew when we signed him and recruited him years ago that he was going to be something. He's got a great arm. He's athletic. His bat-to-ball skills are great, but he had to navigate some injuries for a couple of years. This fall, we really saw it come together.
"I told him late fall, 'You saw what Dalton did last year with his skill set. Your skill set can do the exact same. You're fast. You have good hand-eye (coordination). Just embrace that role, and be that guy that moves the ball and does whatever it takes.' He has really taken off with that."
Cook shifted the game's momentum in the fourth inning with the game tied at 2-2. UNCW (8-8) looked to take the lead with two outs after a ball seemed to drop in center for a potential RBI single. However, Cook made a perfect throw to home plate and threw the runner out to end the inning.
Left fielder Davis Gillespie, who tied the game with a home run in the second inning, was not surprised by Cook's throw out.
"My freshman year, we went up to Rhode Island for summer ball and played together," Gillespie said. :He was pitching up to 96, and batting. Look at him now, he's playing center field and throwing guys out at home plate.
"It's awesome, especially him being one of my good buddies. He's been hurt on and off the last two years, and now that he is healthy, he's really showing who he is."
Later, at the bottom of the frame, Cook hit a hard ball in the deep center. The Seahawks' center fielder failed to come down with the ball, and the redshirt sophomore turned in a stand-up RBI triple to push the score to 4-2.
"The biggest thing was just putting the bat on the ball and let's run," Cook said. "I had a pretty good idea of how they were going to pitch to me after the last two games. I went to the at-bats having an idea of where I wanted the ball to be, and I got those pitches and did some damage."
Cook then led off the seventh inning with a double that sparked a 3-run inning for Southern Miss (11-5). After Ozzie Pratt drove in Cook with a double, and Gillespie added more insurance runs with a two-run double.
Although Cook is quickly building his own memorable season, fans and teammates have pondered the question of who is faster, McIntyre or Cook.
'Me," Cook quickly replied when asked who could win a race.
Both Ostrander and Gillespie shared that sentiment.
"Jake's going to say he is faster, and D-Mac is going to say he's faster, but I'll have to Jake," Gillespie hesitantly said. "But not by far at all."
Southern Miss will host UTRGV on Tuesday, with the first pitch set for 6 p.m.
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