Notre Dame commit Cooper Clapp brings MLB pedigree to South Bend
SAVANNAH, Tenn. (BVM) – Not many high school baseball players get to be around someone that has made it to the big leagues. Cooper Clapp has two former MLB players in his corner.
His father, Stubby, made it to the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001 and is now their first base coach, while his uncle, Chad Harville, pitched in the show for six seasons. Harville is now the head coach at Hardin County High School in Savannah, Tennessee, where Cooper is a senior.
“Growing up in professional baseball and being able to hang out in the clubhouse with all the players made me fall in love with it,” Cooper said. “It made me want to be in the same place they are one day.”
A lot of Cooper’s early baseball memories stem from his father’s time as a player for the Cardinals’ AAA affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds. Stubby was a fan favorite in Memphis, where he would do backflips in honor of Ozzie Smith and become third in team history in games played and hits.
“I’ve watched a little bit of film on him,” Cooper said. “Every time he took the field or even now when he is coaching, he works his tail off every single night to make sure that he has all of his stuff right. That’s probably the most influential thing I’ve gotten from him. I want to play as hard as I can every time I get on the field.”
That mentality has paid dividends for Cooper’s future as he ranks as the No. 8 player in the state of Tennessee.
Cooper made an instant impact for the Tiger program when he arrived, hitting leadoff as a freshman and batting .361 with 23 RBIs. He has been the heartbeat of the lineup ever since.
Hardin County did not have a season in Clapp’s sophomore year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he still received a scholarship to play at Notre Dame despite playing only one season of high school baseball. He committed to play in South Bend in the fall of his junior year.
Officially a part of @NDBaseball 💚 Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way. Go Irish! #NationalSigningDay pic.twitter.com/IMbAaOKrNQ
— Cooper Clapp (@Cooperclapp11) November 11, 2021
“The coaches at Notre Dame I really connected with,” Cooper said. “It was the best place to where I could get the best education possible and also play at the highest level of baseball that there is in the ACC.”
A few months after his commitment, Clapp repaid the confidence of the Fighting Irish coaching staff. He came back even better as a junior, hitting .418 with 35 RBIs, leading his team to the state championship game.
Clapp credits his uncle, who works more hands-on with Cooper as his dad travels, for his quick development as a hitter and his overall fundamentals as a baseball player.
“He’s helped me in between the lines with focusing and the mental side,” Cooper said. “He was always on me about getting better and working hard every single practice. Making sure I was serious and not going through the motions. He helped me become a better player and at the same time, the best person I could be.”
With the physical and psychological part of the game taken care of, Clapp will look to make the same type of impact for Notre Dame and eventually, in pro ball.
“Notre Dame has really been competitive the last few years,” Cooper said. “If they continue that success whenever I get there, I’d love to be a part of a College World Series. To be a part of a team like that would be really cool.”
