Framing pitches and launching home runs, Cooper Tarlie ’25 has been a key contributor to the Belmont Hill Varsity Baseball team as both a catcher and outfielder. Last year, Cooper committed to play Division I baseball at William & Mary, and he’s excited to play at the next level. This year, his leadership and dedication were recognized when his teammates voted him captain.
Despite his athletic accomplishments, he has gone through adversity to get to where he is today. In his sophomore year, even with his talents he did not make the varsity team and spent the season on JV, a tough experience he reflected on in a Woodbury in the fall. He continued to train and work to make the team by his junior year. Ultimately, he committed to the College of William Mary before making the varsity team his junior year.
During his first season on varsity, Cooper suffered a wrist injury that required surgery and sidelined him for the year. He shared, “When I dealt with injury, I really relied on my friends. One of my closest friends was hurt at the same time, so we spent a lot of time together, just hanging out during practice—and we got a lot closer through that.” He also leaned on his faith and stayed committed to working hard through the recovery process. Through it all, moments of joy and connection have stuck with him: “We went to Mr. Chin’s family restaurant, then had this hour-and-a-half bus ride where we just did karaoke the whole time.”
Teammate Luke Waldeck ’26 is happy for the team as he states “Cooper’s leadership and resilience sets a great example for everyone on the team and I am looking forward to one final season with him.” Now, with a healthy season ahead, Cooper looks to help lead the team in pursuit of an ISL championship before heading off to the next level, and The Panel wishes him the best of luck.