Draft’s Cook, Marion heading to Bluefield

STUARTS DRAFT – Two friends will continue their journey together.
Stuarts Draft’s ace Cameron Cook and catcher Zac Marion will share a field again as they officially inked their names to play baseball for Bluefield College next season.

Recruiters were anxious to land both players for the Appalachian Athletic Conference.
The Rams scrambled to get Cook (2-1), who has an ERA of 2.46. They were not the only ones vying for the hurler.
“A lot of the top-notch colleges wanted him. We felt that we were in a battle to get him,” said Rams’ assistant coach Stephen Baker. “It was a process and I was on him every day, so we recruited him hard.”

Cook could start for the Rams from day one.
“He’s going to come in for our conference games and work from the bullpen, he’ll be pitching a lot for us,” Baker said.
That sat well with the senior.
“It makes me happy that I get to play for Bluefield and be their No. 1 guy,” Cook said.
Marion was not far from his childhood friend Cook. He will join the starting lineup, but will play in the outfield. Marion has scored 20 runs this season and is hitting just over .400.

“Marion is going to jump right into the lineup,” Baker said.
With a flurry of friends and family swarming around the two seniors, both players took it in stride. Cook and Marion sat at a table centered in the high school library. Cook wore a tie that was accented with lemon-colored stripes. Marion wore a tie that matched the Cougars’ signature baseball cap. Both were poised, but nervous.

“It’s a dream come true,” Cook said. “I have always wanted to [play college baseball] since I was kid.”
Marion admitted he was a little overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
“I don’t know what to say, but I’m very excited and I hope to go far,” Marion said.
Going back far was the friendship between the players. Both have been sitting together in classes and playing ball since they were in kindergarten. Rocky Cook coached his son and Marion in Little League. Both parents of the players shared a small wooded table at the back of the room.

“These kids always wanted to play baseball. They used to talk about playing since they were in kindergarten,” said Rocky Cook said.

The Marions shared many years of car-pooling with the Cooks to make sure that their children made it to practices.
“They always worked hard, even in the offseason,” said Jody Marion.
Draft skipper Josh Podgorski joined his players to congratulate them. He boasted about his players’ character under his care.

“These kids have a great work ethic,” Podgorski said. “I’m very happy for them.”
For Cook and Marion, they will be riding out together to Bluefield to start their collegiate careers.
“Its very exciting to be able to do this, we worked hard, but to able to play college ball is just amazing,” Cook said.