Kyleigh Cooper surpasses 400 career strikeouts

St. Aloysius softball player Kyleigh Cooper recently surpassed 400 career strikeouts.

Cooper, a junior, started pitching on varsity as an eighth grader. She now has a total of 425 strikeouts pitching on the varsity level.

“It definitely feels good and very unreal,” Cooper said. “I put in a lot of work to get here and it feels wonderful to finally have everything come together.”

Cooper started the season off strong with an 11-strikeout performance against Madison St. Joe where she led the Lady Flashes to a 13-0 win.

Cooper pitched in every game and that led to her earning over 100 strikeouts in each of the last couple of seasons. In addition to her pitching, Cooper is now concentrating on her hitting.

“This year it’s more of me not being so stressed out as much and I learned to go with the flow and lead with a positive attitude,” Cooper added.

Earlier in the season, the Lady Flashes were preparing for their first district game against Adams County Christian School. St. Al won the tense rivalry match with a 9-0 win. That victory meant a lot to Cooper who would earn her 400th strikeout against them in the second game just a few weeks later.

She now has 105 strikeouts on the year and is sharing time on the rubber with freshman Madelyn Kavanaugh.

Kyleigh Cooper: Photo by Richard Miller

“We came out and we were ready and we played like we practice and stayed positive and never laid down,”

Cooper has stepped up her hitting game as she currently sits with 25 hits and 15 RBIs with plenty of softball left to play. 

Kyleigh Cooper: Photo by Richard Miller

The 2023 season has been a successful one for Cooper and St. Al as they have qualified for the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. They have a 15-6 record under Head Coach Mike Foley.

Kyleigh Cooper: Photo by Richard Miller

Cooper was selected as VDN’s 2021 Softball Player of the Year, and two years later all eyes are still on the one referred to as the “Strikeout Queen.”

Cooper’s previous strikeouts:
1. 8th grade-32 strikeouts 

2. 9th grade-136 strikeouts 

3. 10th grade-152 strikeouts 

4. 11th grade-105 and counting