January 29th, RailCats resigned catcher Cooper Edwards. This will be Cooper’s 2nd season with the RailCats as he was midway through June last season.

Last year with the RailCats, Cooper played in 28 games and had 78 at-bats; he recorded 12 hits, scored 4 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, and had 2 RBI. He stole 1 base and was caught stealing once. Cooper drew 9 walks and struck out 27 times. His batting average was .154 (BA), his On-Base Percentage (OBP) was .250, his slugging (SLG) was .205, and his On-base Plus Slugging (OPS) was .455. Behind the plate, he threw out 11 runners out of 44 for a 20% caught stealing percentage. He had a .967 fielding percent with 154 putouts, 21 assists, 6 errors, and 2 passed balls.

Cooper Edwards became a huge fan favorite after he went 3-4, scored 3 runs, knocked in 1, and had 1 double and 1 triple; he helped the team beat the Lake Country Dockhounds 8-5 on July 15th. About midway through the game, I can’t remember if it was when he was up to bat or after he hit his triple; either way, the fans were excited to see Cooper succeed in that moment.

The thing I like about Cooper was his connection with some of the pitchers on the staff, most notably with recently signed Peyton Long, as for about a month stretch, they seemed to be clicking on all cylinders.

Last year, before Cooper joined the team, the opposing team was stealing every base that they saw, and it was a major weak point. But after Edwards joined the team, it was a no-fly zone when he was behind the plate. Cooper may not be the tallest guy on the team, but he sure does have a Texas-size arm, and I’m glad to see him back for the 2025 season!

WELCOME BACK TO THE SOUTHSHORE!!