Colton Cook told his friends before the game he had a plan.

If he hit a home run, he was opening his jersey.

Underneath was a new shirt his mom, Kristen, had just bought him. It read “Jesus Saves.”

Against Pace on March 3, Cook delivered — launching a three-run homer that left the bat so cleanly he didn’t even realize it was gone.

• “I honestly didn’t even know it was gone off the bat,” Cook said.

It was his first career high school home run, and it came in front of a crowd packed with friends and family. As he rounded the bases and reached home plate, he opened his jersey to reveal the shirt beneath.

“Jesus plays a huge part in my life, and he saved my life personally,” Cook said. “I don’t want to take glory for something I did when I know I shouldn’t even be walking on this earth. And I still am because of the grace and glory of God.”

The home run highlighted a stretch in which the Niceville senior went 4-for-8 with 5 RBIs across wins over Pace, Spanish Fort and Robertsdale, helping the Eagles rattle off three straight victories to improve to 7-3 on the season. He added a double against Spanish Fort and played clean defense across all three games with a 1.000 fielding percentage.

• What makes the stretch even more notable is what preceded it. Cook missed three games earlier this season after injuring a finger during a soccer camp and was forced to sit out.

Rather than wait around, he went to work.

“During that, I was putting in a bunch of work on my own time,” Cook said. “I didn’t start off the season how I really wanted to. But I came out, first at-bat against Pace…I had a single, and that kind of calmed me down. After that, I was just seeing the ball clearly.”

Niceville Head Coach Justin Bruce said the breakout wasn’t a surprise.

“That just comes down to a senior that played soccer, put everything he had into soccer, showed up to baseball probably a little bit behind in the rep situation and just had a slow start,” Bruce said. “And then once he was given his opportunity, he made the most of it.”

Bruce said Cook’s consistency is what sets him apart.

• “He shows up every day and gives you the best he’s got,” Bruce said. “He’s always encouraging the other teammates. He’s consistent with what he does every day. You can always expect that you’re going to get a player who will go out there and give you his best effort.”

Cook is a two-sport athlete at Niceville, also playing goalkeeper for the Eagles’ soccer team. He recently learned he was selected to the FACA All-Stars Florida team as one of just eight goalkeepers chosen from more than 800 high schools statewide with boys soccer programs.

“Me and my mom were super happy when we found that out,” Cook said. “I haven’t been playing soccer very long, and to find out that I got selected as one of eight keepers out of 800 high schools was a very cool experience.”

He heads to Lakeland this weekend to compete in the all-star games.

Bruce said the value of a multi-sport athlete like Cook goes beyond the stat sheet.

“You go to soccer and he’s a goalkeeper and there’s situations where he lets balls get by him and he has to deal with the adversity of that,” Bruce said. “Then coming over to baseball and already being in those situations, I think that helps a lot. You always look for kids who can be consistent and show up every day and give you everything they got. Those are the guys that are always good team leaders.”

Off the field, Cook’s life is anchored by his faith and his family. He attends Crosspoint Church in Niceville and said his involvement there is “probably the biggest part of my life.” He wants to major in civil engineering or chemistry in college with a minor in ministry.

Cook credits his mom as his biggest supporter. She travels to every game, rain or shine, with or without other family alongside her.

• “My mom has always been my number one supporter,” Cook said. “She’s always just been there for me. She’s always willing to talk to me and has just been an amazing influence on the person I want to be when I grow up.”

His older brother Tanner has been a role model as well. Tanner is currently in the fire academy and still plays baseball in a local men’s league.

“Anytime I need advice for something, I’ve always been able to ask him,” Cook said.

The family moved to Niceville from Tampa when Colton was around three years old, and he’s been an Eagle ever since.

Bruce said the young man’s character matches his play.

• “He’s a kid of faith. He always puts his faith first in everything that he does,” Bruce said. “In the classroom, I’ve never got a phone call that said anything different — always that he was a good kid, always doing what he’s supposed to do. I can’t say enough good things about Colton.”

As for what’s next, Bruce said Cook’s future is wherever his heart takes him.

“I think if he puts his mind to it, he can have an opportunity,” Bruce said. “Once he finally decides what it is and puts his whole heart into it, I believe he can do anything.”

When asked what it means to wear a Niceville uniform, Cook said it comes down to the culture Coach Bruce has built.

“What our team really stands for is effort and attitude, and of course our faith,” Cook said. “We have people come and talk to us, give us small talks and sermons every week. We’re always praying before or after a game. It’s really just the culture that has been built here, and everyone buying into it.”