Cooper Fouts spent a total of five seasons on the Pepperdine baseball staff, including three as an assistant coach.
After serving as a volunteer assistant for two seasons (2011-12), Fouts returned ahead of the 2016 season to join Rick Hirtensteiner’s staff as an assistant coach, where he stayed for three seasons before departing for Purdue during summer 2018.
During his first two seasons in Malibu, Fouts was part of a team that won the 2012 WCC championship and made an appearance in the NCAA Stanford Regional. He helped with the development of catchers and hitters while at Pepperdine, in addition to assisting with camps and field maintenance.
In his return, Fouts then served as the Waves’ recruiting coordinator, while also working to oversee and develop all aspects of the Pepperdine offense. The Waves added the 2018 WCC regular-season title to the trophy case in Fouts’ final season.
“Cooper is a tremendous recruiter, coach, husband, and father,” said Hirtensteiner at time of Fouts’ hiring. “His work ethic is unmatched and his energy is second to none. Cooper holds Pepperdine baseball and the overall mission of the University in high regard, and is an outstanding fit for the program. I expect Cooper to make an immediate impact on the program and in the lives of our student athletes. I am excited to have Cooper back in a Waves uniform.”
During the three seasons between stints at Pepperdine, Fouts was an assistant coach at Utah Valley (2013-15). He helped lead the Wolverines to a total of 71 wins, four of which came in WAC Tournament play. He worked with the development of UVU’s hitters and catchers, while also serving as the team’s recruiting coordinator.
Before his first two seasons at Pepperdine, Fouts came to Malibu after spending four seasons (2007-10) as an assistant coach at the College of Southern Nevada, where he worked with 2010 Golden Spikes Award winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Harper.
Nine CSN pitchers were taken during the June 2010 draft and 14 more student-athletes were signed by NCAA Division I programs. In addition to overseeing the development of the catchers and hitters, Fouts also was responsible for many off-field activities such as scheduling opponents, directing camps, field maintenance, recruiting and placement.
Fouts began his collegiate playing career at CSN in 2002 and helped lead that club to a third-place finish in the conference tournament before moving on to the DI ranks and Texas Tech. While in Lubbock, Fouts quickly became one of the top defensive catchers in the Big 12, as he tossed out runners at an exceptional rate and was promoted to that position full-time at the start of his junior year in 2004.
Fouts and the Red Raiders (which included current major leaguer Dallas Braden) made the NCAA Tournament that postseason, after finishing the year at 40-21 and third in the Big 12 conference at 17-9. Texas Tech was eliminated in the first round by Georgia Tech, but Fouts was named to the NCAA Atlanta Regional All-Tournament Team. In 2005, he was an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection.
The Indianapolis native graduated from Texas Tech in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in exercise sports science while working as a coach at nearby Lubbock Christian University. Fouts graduated from Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman High School in 2001 and was selected in the 26th round of the MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics.
He and his wife, Bri (Krahenbuhl), were married in 2010 and have two children, Emmit and Harper.
