DURHAM, N.C. - On the eve of the 2010 college baseball season, Bradley junior pitcher Patrick Cooper (Danville, Ky./Des Moines Area C.C./Boyle County H.S.) has earned a trio of honors from Baseball America magazine.

The 6-foot-3 right-hander ranked 48th in the nation among college baseball juniors and 60th among all players, both high school and college, eligible for the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. In addition to his national recognition, Baseball America also named Cooper the top prospect in the Missouri Valley Conference.

A transfer from Des Moines Area Community College, Cooper was an NJCAA Division II All-American for the Bears last season. He received conference and Region XI Pitcher of the Year honors, and helped DMACC to conference, district and regional championships. During the summer, Cooper pitched for the Falmouth Commodores of the prestigious Cape Code Baseball League. He struck out a team-best 39 batters in just 27.1 innings of work and was named to the Cape Code West All-Star Team.

Cooper and the Braves will open the 2010 season Friday, Feb. 26 at the Service Academy Spring Classic in Millington, Tenn. with a 12 p.m. game against Pittsburgh. Bradley opened last season with a 9-8 10-inning victory over the Panthers at the Service Spring Academy.