Up until the beginning of October, Milford’s Zach Cook (6-1, 190) was a rather unknown prospect to college programs.

In a matter of a week, all of this changed.

On a beautiful Tuesday evening at the Midland Complex, Cook took the mound during the Champions’ Fall Showcase. With the lights shining down, the talented right-handed pitcher was about to throw his first pitch during a showcase event.

“Going into that event, I already had an idea at how many scouts were going to be there, so of course I was very nervous, probably the most nervous I have ever been,” Cook recalls.

When he took the mound, the radar guns began to light up. Using an easy delivery and high ¾ arm slot, Cook showed command of a fastball that sat in the mid 80’s and touched up to 88 mph. At the time, he struggled with the feel for his curveball (67-69 mph), but showed command of his changeup (73-74 mph).

“I knew that if I just did what I knew how to do, I would be fine and impress some people. And, that’s what I did. I calmed down and did great.”

Later that week, he traveled with the Ohio Elite to Fort Myers, Florida, for the Perfect Game WWBA Underclass Championships.

On Sunday, he took the mound for the team’s first bracket play game against the Richmond Braves (ranked 11^th in Perfect Game’s latest rankings).

With scouts from the Midwest and Southern conferences in attendance, Cook threw 5 innings of shut out baseball. He used a consistent 85-87 mph fastball and showed great command of his curveball and changeup.

Reflecting on the weekend, he says, “The whole experience was just nuts. In Florida, every time you would turn your head, there was a big name school standing there watching you perform and taking notes.”

Eventually, Cook and the Ohio Elite lost in the sweet 16 against FTB Mizuno, one of the top organizations in the nation.

For Cook, it will be an experience he always remembers.

“Playing down in the PG Underclass Championship was crazy and a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was interesting because we had a team put together that never played together before, and yet it seemed like we had played with each other for the longest time.”

Now, back in Ohio, Cook has been receiving interest from a number of different schools including Cincinnati, Ohio State, Kent State, Miami, Winthrop, Central Michigan, Wright State, and Virginia Tech.

Cook, who also plays first base and hits from the left side, is a potential two-way prospect at the next level. The Milford standout also holds a 3.7 grade point average.

Next summer, Cook will play for the Ohio Force along with Mason standout infielder Connor McVey.