Known as the Tar Heels' best pure hitter, redshirt sophomore left fielder Casey Cook was selected as the No. 103 pick in the third round by the Texas Rangers in the MLB Draft on Monday afternoon.
While at UNC, Cook helped push the Tar Heels to new heights during his redshirt first and sophomore seasons.
During the 2024 campaign, the left fielder finished with a .341 batting average, .431 on-base percentage and a .605 slugging percentage. He also led the team in hits, tallying 88 on the season and drove in a team-high 78 runs. His RBI total pushed him to rank 11th nationally and third in the ACC.
Cook also led the team in multi-hit games and multi-RBI games. With this success, he ranked second on the team in batting average, on-base percentage, runs and total bases. In May, Cook was named First-Team All-ACC.
The redshirt sophomore first came to UNC in 2022. Four games into his first year, Cook suffered a season-ending left shoulder injury, forcing him to redshirt.
In 2023, the left fielder came back with a vengeance. He was named to the All-ACC Freshmen Team after ranking second among ACC rookies in runs and walks. With a .333 batting average, Cook ranked fourth in the ACC among rookies. By reaching base 44 times consecutively during his first season, Cook recorded a new UNC rookie record.
The former Tar Heel will look to contribute his pure hitting abilities to hopefully become a valuable member of the Rangers program.
