Teenage brothers Trey and Ty Cook have been tossing a baseball back and forth for as long as they can remember.
They’ve played catch almost everywhere — backyards, side yards, streets, fields, woods, parks, gymnasiums, and even at family reunions. Whether out of boredom or with a plan, the brothers have made tossing a baseball a lifelong tradition.
“We’ve been doing that since at least 3 or 4 years old for me,” said Ty Cook, youngest of the two brothers by two years. “Passing a baseball is just something we’ve always done.”
Their habit grew so ingrained that they began bringing gloves and a ball along for car rides with their parents. When Trey got his first car last year, he made sure to keep them within reach.
“There’s usually a couple gloves in the backseat and a baseball on the floorboard,” Trey said. “You never know when you’ll need them.”
These days, playing catch at Scott High School has taken on new purpose.
“I’m still throwing it to him,” Ty said with a laugh.
Trey believes those years of practice are paying off for both of them on the Eagles baseball team.
“Whenever he wanted to get some work in, I’d catch for him and get some work in too,” said Trey.
Someone who can attest to this back and forth between the brothers is Scott baseball coach Patrick Dragan.
“The Cook boys are very good baseball players,” Dragan said. “Trey’s our catcher. He makes all the calls with the pitchers, and he’s a pretty good hitter. Ty pitches and he plays centerfield and first base and bats leadoff.”
Dragan, who previously coached junior varsity at Conner High School, is in his first season leading Scott’s varsity. Throughout his coaching career, he’s never seen anything like what Ty and Trey are accomplishing this season.
With just over two weeks left in the regular schedule, Ty has yet to allow an earned run, a remarkable feat in an unpredictable sport with a broad range of outcomes and fluke plays. He has pitched 29 innings across five starts, recording a Kentucky-best 0.00 ERA. Out of four pitchers statewide with perfect ERAs, Ty ranks first due to the most innings pitched.
While that’s impressive enough, there is some serious precociousness going on here for a unique athlete with some hard-to-find traits.
Ty Cook is a left-handed freshman. He’s pitching to high school batters who are much older. In fact, the large majority of hitters he faces are older than he is. But they’ve got nothing on the youngster, who turned 15 in September. Ty can’t drive a car yet, but he can motor an 84 miles-per-hour fastball past any hitter. His glove travels in Trey’s Jeep, but his pitches are leaving baserunners stranded.
“He’s a good pitcher. He’s worked hard and deserves it all,” said Trey, a right-handed catcher and left-handed batter. “I think he’s having a pretty good season.”
Dragan takes it further: “Ty’s having an incredible season. What he’s doing just doesn’t happen because so many things go on in a baseball game.”
What’s been going on with the Cooks at Scott is history in the making. Local coaches say it’s rare for a left-handed freshman to be throwing nothing but zeros to his brother inning after inning this deep into the season. Dragan has never seen what the brothers are doing.
“They’ve already been part of two no-hitters this season,” the coach said. “Ty started a combined no-hitter against Mason County and Holy Cross while throwing to Trey and it was awesome.”
The brothers were instrumental in Dragan’s first varsity win, the combined no-hitter against Mason County, with Ty pitching six innings and Trey catching. Brock Ronnebaum closed out the seventh for the save.
Trey, a junior, is a career .300 hitter. Batting second in the order, he leads Scott regulars with a .322 batting average. He also leads the Eagles in hits, triples and a .434 on-base percentage. With pitch-calling responsibilities behind the plate and the ability to position defenders, he’s a true field general and a vocal leader.
Ty is hitting .222 but he’s third on the team in walks and has a .353 on-base percentage with good speed at the top of the batting order. He’s third in stolen bases. The brothers set the table for thumpers Trevor Pulsfort, Brady Smith and Carson Blaha.
Ty admits he can find something to improve in all those statistical areas as a second-year varsity hitter. On the mound, he’s been something else. After all, you can’t improve a 0.00 ERA.
“He’s got four pitches. He challenges hitters with all of them and keeps them off-balance,” coach Dragan said. “He has good control and location. He’s pitching to a guy that knows him better than anyone else, so it’s a great combination to have. It’s actually really cool watching them compete.”
Sitting in the low-to-mid 80s with his fastball, Ty Cook (2-1) has allowed just 11 base hits. He has struck out nearly half the batters he’s faced thanks to a devastating change-up and an improved slider. He’s fanned 51, ranking in the state top 30 in his 29 innings pitched for about 1.75 strikeouts per frame. He is averaging a whopping 10 strikeouts and giving up just 2.2 hits per start.
“I throw fastballs until I find it then start working in the off-speed stuff, which I’m very confident in,” Ty said. “The change-up is my reset pitch. I’ve been throwing it since Little League.”
The freshman most recently whiffed 12 batters in six innings April 21 against Bishop Brossart. He fanned 35 in 29 innings as an eighth grader while going 4-0 and posting a team-best 2.39 ERA, which means he’s been Scott’s best pitcher two years running before the age of 16.
For opponents, too many Cooks are spoiling the party as the brothers form one of the area’s most cohesive and devastating batteries. However, the Eagles’ recipe for success is having a stable of arms at the ready.
Smith has started four games with a sterling 1.84 ERA. He picked up the save last week against Brossart. Fellow starters Pulsfort and Ronnebaum have kept their ERAs under 3.60. Relievers Bleha, Jay Race and Ian Wallace have yet to allow an earned run in 15-plus innings combined, fueling a microscopic 2.23 team ERA, which ranks 19th statewide. Last season’s ERA was 4.26.
“Everybody’s doing great,” Ty said. “If we keep pitching well, we’ll keep winning games.”
The Eagles are 11-8. They are seeking their first winning season since 2021 when they last won the 37th District tournament. Through it all, the siblings are laser focused. For Ty, all he sees is Trey’s catcher’s mitt giving him a target to hit, just like always.
“I’m really focused on getting batters in the hole quick,” Ty said. “Strikeouts are great but I don’t mind pitching to contact because I have faith in our defense.”
He also has faith in his brother.
“Trey knows me,” Ty said. “He knows what I have, and he knows when I should throw it. The connection we have is like no other.”
And just in case the brotherly battery wants to get in some extra work on the spur of the moment, their ever-ready gloves and baseball are always in the car.