Pitcher earns GPA award

Junior Alison Cooke's approach to pitching is perhaps best summarized by her catcher, junior Brooke Monroe.\n"She's really smart," Monroe said of Cooke on the mound. "She remembers whether a batter got a hit or not, where they hit it, when they hit it. She always tells us who's coming up in the batting order. She's been a very effective leader."\nRemembering facts is important to Cooke, who plans on being a high school history teacher upon graduation. For Cooke, her quest towards being the best student she can be in the classroom is equally as important as being the best pitcher she can be. The key to success in both has been hard work.\n"Basically, I value school as much if not more than softball," Cooke said. "I highly value softball, but I think how you perform in the classroom will reflect how you perform on the field. If you put in the effort for your schoolwork, that's the same way you're going to approach the game."\nHer hard work has paid off this year in the classroom and on the field. Saturday, Cooke was selected as a recipient of the IU Scholastic Achievement Award, which is given to the team member with the highest grade point average.\nOn the field, Cooke has been a bright spot for the 3-7 Hoosiers. Cooke has pitched in seven contests, notching a 2-4 record on six complete games, while maintaining a 1.49 ERA. Enjoying the success has been easy for Cooke, who struggled her first two years while adjusting to the college game and dealing with injuries.\n"If you looked at my win-loss record, you wouldn't think it (the season) has been going that great, but I think overall I've been going out there and putting in a pretty solid performance," Cooke said. "Over the last few years, I've had some ups and downs, and some injuries, so my goal this year has been to just get back to the basics."\nCoach Diane Stephenson agrees Cooke is an integral part of the team and her performance is important in the team meeting its goal of reaching the Big Ten tournament. The Hoosiers are relying on her to take on a heavier workload in order to achieve their goal.\n"She (Cooke) is very important. Our goal as we get towards the Big Ten season is for her to throw three games a weekend," Stephenson said. "She's going to have to throw a lot for us to be competitive in the Big Ten."\nStepping into the role as the top pitcher on the staff meant added training in the off-season and a new mental approach for Cooke.\n"Alison has totally turned around her attitude this year and I think she's been a real force on the field," Stephenson said. "I know that her record doesn't indicate that, but I think as we start to come around, it will."\nCooke agrees that more responsibility meant a new approach to training and in preparing for the season.\n"I basically just prepared myself (for more innings) this summer," Cooke said. "I spent the summer trying to work on endurance and (pitch) location and make sure I'd be ready to last all season."\nWith her hard work and new approach to the season has come a tougher Cooke -- one ready to take on the challenge of being the team's ace.\n"The past two years, Teresa Martinez was always the older pitcher we relied on," Cooke said. "So with her graduating last year, I knew that this year I'd probably be stepping into her role."\nStephenson has also taken note of Cooke's newfound attitude.\n"I think definitely she has a new approach," Stephenson said. "I think working with Brooke and hopefully with us over the winter has helped her to get tougher. We asked her to do some things we hadn't asked her to do before and she has totally responded"