Jay Cook wasn’t an ordinary Division III athlete. In fact, he wasn’t a DIII athlete at all. Originally committing to Rutgers-New Brunswick for baseball, he fell short of his dream, having to de-commit since he didn’t pass the NCAA Clearinghouse which would give him his scholarship.
Although Rutgers was at the top of his list, Cook also had offers from St. John’s, Seton Hall, East Carolina and West Virginia. As an alternative, Cook decided on committing to a Division III institute for a year and then transferring to a DI school. This DIII school? Montclair State University. After only months with the team, he made some meaningful connections and decided to stay at Montclair State.
Recruiting was difficult for Cook at first, but after he started to gain more and more attention from college coaches, he started to receive such impressive offers. “Recruiting now is a lot more internet based,” Cook said. “There really wasn’t a lot of internet back then so college coaches would send their assistant coaches to scout the games.”
High school was a different experience for Cook. Due to his packed schedule, he was constantly faced with academic challenges.
“I think academically, where we are now at Westfield is definitely more challenging than it was then,” said Cook. “I would only get one day off a year, which was Thanksgiving, and the rest would be practice or a game.”
Cook attended WHS and graduated in 2002. He was a tri-sport varsity athlete starting as a sophomore in football, basketball and baseball. In love with football and baseball, Cook committed to Montclair State for both, but dislocated his shoulder during a football game prior to arriving at Montclair State so decided to focus on baseball.
Despite his injury, Cook dominated in high school. By the end of his high school career, Cook was the single-season and career triples leader, had the single-season and career home run records, had a 40-game record hit streak, and had the most triples in a game. Once he started college, baseball became almost unbearably competitive.
“College baseball was really a competition because every day you were competing against someone,” said Cook. “Everybody’s All-State and everybody’s All-County so each day you have to be on top of your game at all times, unlike in high school.”
Cook was primarily a pitcher for the Red Hawks, but during his sophomore year, he played first base because their starting first baseman got hurt. Under Cook’s leadership, Montclair State rolled past competition, defeating the best teams in the nation. In his senior year, the Red Hawks won the regional championship and went to the College World Series. They finished third in the nation with their captain and role model.
After college, Cook faced an obstacle. What now? He could either try his chances at Major League Baseball or take up the opportunity to be the pitching coach for Montclair State.
“As soon as I finished college, I had four opportunities to try out for major league teams, but I decided to take the offer as a pitching coach at Montclair State because it was a good opportunity,” Cook said.
Cook was an assistant coach for the Red Hawks for five years, helping to build the program to be one of the best in the country. While dedicating so much time to Montclair State, Cook still found his own time to play ball, playing in the Morristown Majors, a league in the Morristown, NJ, area.
Eventually, Cook wanted a family and decided it was time to settle down, leaving his job as the Montclair State assistant coach behind. “After doing it for five years, I decided I wanted a family, and that isn’t possible if I am on the road all the time, so I started to get my teaching certificate,” Cook said.
In 2011, he returned to WHS, joining the baseball coaching staff and working as a physical education teacher. Cook also worked for the town’s recreation department, organizing summer camps and fun activities for Westfield’s kids.
Since then, Cook has dedicated himself to giving back to his community, helping students when he can and the baseball opportunities Westfield has to offer. However, Cook still clings to his favorite baseball memories, reminiscing about his championships and hard work.
“Winning the regionals and going off to the College World Series was my best memory since we had just beaten the No. 1 team in the nation, TCNJ, back to back,” said Cook. “Also, going back to high school, winning a county championship and competing with those guys was up there as well.”
Cook found great success in college, but he understands how special high school sports are and constantly reminds his own players to make the most of such an opportunity.
“It goes quickly,” said Cook. “Enjoy every bus ride, joke and team dinner because in 20 years from now that’s the things we remember. It’s the off the field things that make it so special, and you can relax and enjoy the game.”
Enjoy the game.
