Former Bantam Cooper McGrath ‘23 Drafted by San Francisco Giants

Annika Haley ’26

Sports Editor

Former Trinity College baseball pitcher Cooper McGrath ‘23 was selected in the eighteenth round of the MLB draft by the San Francisco Giants in July of 2025. McGrath is the sixth former Bantam to be selected. McGrath is also the 44th player from the NESCAC to be drafted into the major leagues.

McGrath is from South Hamilton, Massachusetts, and he earned his B.A. in economics from Trinity. He is a right-handed pitcher and was a crucial member of the Bantams’ pitching staff during his junior and senior seasons in 2022 and 2023.

As a junior, McGrath became the ace of Trinity’s rotation, leading the Bantams with six wins and a team-high 42 strikeouts across 31.2 innings. He held his opponents to a .252 batting average and recorded a four-inning, 11-strikeout relief performance to earn his first career win against Mount St. Vincent. In the NESCAC Championship Tournament, he struck out five players over four innings to earn a key victory against Hamilton.

After McGrath graduated from Trinity, he went to Northeastern University as a graduate student. There, he became a reliable bullpen pitcher for the Huskies. He continued to perform well at Northeastern. In 2024, he made 16 appearances, striking out 24 batters over 27 innings and finishing with a 3–0 record and a 2.63 ERA. In 2025, he had a 1.66 ERA and a .187 opponent batting average in 21 innings.

The Tripod had the opportunity to talk to McGrath about his time at Trinity and his transformation as a baseball player. Reflecting on his path from Trinity to professional baseball, McGrath credits the foundation he built competing in the NESCAC. “I really enjoyed my time playing in the NESCAC,” he said. “It was where I started my college career and was able to learn and grow quite a bit. It is competitive and there are a lot of really talented teams and players in the conference.”

He also highlighted the lasting influence of Trinity head coach Bryan Adamski on his development. “No question Coach Adamski has had a big impact on my career,” McGrath said. “I think frequently about the quote ‘moderation is for cowards’ that he repeated to us several times. It’s just a reminder to not take anything for granted. If you’re going to do something, commit to it and give it everything you have. To this day I repeat that quote to myself frequently. Skip’s program is built on the right values and playing the game the right way with a hard-nosed mindset and being ready to do whatever it takes to win every day. I loved every second of playing in that program and it was a very formative part of my career.”

Since graduating, McGrath believes his game has reached new heights. “Since leaving Trinity, I think I have just become a more polished pitcher,” he said. “I have added to my pitch mix and I think I have a stronger approach to attacking hitters. I have also been able to get a little bit bigger and stronger and thus throw a little bit harder which has been helpful too.”

As he begins his professional career, McGrath offered advice to current Bantams who dream of playing at the next level. “It is all right there in front of you. Believe in yourself and believe that anything is possible with hard work and a vision,” he said. “Trinity is a special place and I wouldn’t be where I am without the time I spent there and with Coach Adamski, Jay, Geddy, Rondi and Bill.”

As previously stated by McGrath, he credited much of his growth as a pitcher and a person to the guidance of Trinity head coach Bryan Adamski. The Tripod spoke to Adamski about his perspective on McGrath’s development. Reflecting on McGrath’s time at Trinity, Adamski said, “Cooper always had a big arm, but no idea how to sync up his big body and long levers. He takes coaching really well and isn’t afraid to tinker and try new things. The potential was there the first time I saw him, but he had to change a number of things with his delivery and mental approach to throw enough strikes and become a game-ready pitcher. Coop deserves all the credit. It was fun to watch his growth over the last few years.”

When asked about the quote McGrath mentioned, “moderation is for cowards,” Adamski explained its origin and significance: “That is part of a quote from one of my favorite movies, ‘Lone Survivor.’ The extended quote is, ‘Anything in life worth doing, is worth over-doing. Moderation is for cowards.’ I love that it has stuck with him. We talk a lot in our program about the importance of work ethic and maxing out your abilities while you’re here. Cooper wasn’t worried about putting all his eggs in one basket, working tirelessly toward his goal, and playing professional baseball became his obsession. He has more work ahead of him, but I am proud of him for chasing down step one.”

Adamski also reflected on what McGrath’s draft means for Trinity baseball as a program: “The individual success is fun to track. Cooper, along with Matt Koperniak ‘20, have a good chance of making it to the big leagues from Trinity. To have two guys chasing down that dream simultaneously is amazing. Any recognition the College or our program gets is great, but the important thing is that you can get there from here.”