Gerrit Cole competed at Cooperstown Dreams Park with the Knuckleheads (CA) during Week 10 in 2003. In 2011, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit as the first overall pick of Major League Baseball's first-year player draft.

During his high school years, Gerrit played three varsity seasons at Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, CA). A right-handed pitcher, Gerrit had a 1-0 record and 14 strikeouts in 14.0 innings, making one start as a sophomore (2006). As a junior (2007), he posted a 1.21 ERA with a 3-0 record, striking out 39 and walking 11 in 29 innings. Gerrit also recorded two saves and allowed 12 hits, earning him second-team All-Trinity League and AFLAC All-American honors. As an outfielder, Gerrit had some success at the plate, batting .269 with two home runs and four doubles. Gerrit pitched in 13 games, starting 12 of them, as a senior (2008). He registered a 0.46 ERA and an 8-2 record (also recorded a save), totaling 121 strikeouts and 18 walks in 75.2 innings. His 2008 stats include registering 10 or more strikeouts in nine games, hurled seven complete games, tossed three complete game shutouts, batted .310 with seven home runs and 25 RBI. Gerrit helped lead his team to the 2008 Trinity League title and an appearance in the CIF Southern Section quarterfinals. Perfect Game Crosschecker rated Gerrit the top high school prospect and Baseball America said he was the fourth-best high school player in the nation. The accolades continued as Gerrit was honored with All-USA High School first-team from USA Today, named a first-team EA Sports All-America selection and a second-team Baseball America All-American honoree. Gerrit, who was never charged with a loss during his high school career, completing the 2008 season as a first-round draft pick by the New York Yankees. He was 28th overall. However, Gerrit decided to play at the collegiate level for UCLA (Los Angeles, CA).

Gerrit made 15 appearances, including 14 starts, for UCLA during his freshman year (2009). He went 4-8 with a 3.49 ERA, compiling 104 strikeouts (established UCLA's freshman single-season record) and 38 walks with a .191 opponent batting average in 85.0 innings. Gerrit was one of three freshman to earn All-Pac-10 team honors, captured Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, earned second-team Freshman All-America accolades from Ping!Baseball. In his sophomore season (2010), Gerrit made 19 starts, going 11-4 with a 3.37 ERA, recording 153 strikeouts (3rd in the nation) and 52 walks in 123.0 innings. He earned All-Tournament Team honors at the NCAA Los Angeles Regional, All-Pac-10 team, second-team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball and Ping! Baseball and third-team accolades from Baseball America and the NCBWA. As a junior (2011), Gerrit went 6-8 with a 3.31 ERA in 16 starts. He threw four complete games, winning three of them. Gerrit allowed one run or less in seven of his 16 starts, registering at least 10 strikeouts in five games. He was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 team.

During the summers of his collegiate career (2009 and 2010), Gerrit played for the USA Baseball National travel team. In 2009, he went 4-0 with a 1.06 ERA in six games (five starts), leading Team USA in strikeouts (46) and innings (34.0). He issued just 10 walks and limited the opposition to a .104 batting average. Team USA advanced to the championship game of the 2009 World Baseball Challenge. Gerrit was rated the No. 1 prospect on the USA National Team by Baseball America. In 2010, Gerrit was 2-0 with a 0.72 ERA and one save in five games (four starts). He threw 23 strikeouts and four walks in a team-leading 25.0 innings. Gerrit struck out two batters and walked one in seven scoreless innings in the start for Team USA in the gold medal game of the FISU World University Baseball Championships. For the second consecutive year, Gerrit was rated the No. 1 prospect on the USA National Team by Baseball America.

After three years at UCLA, Gerrit's overall statistics include ranking second in career strikeouts (376), third in career games started (49) and fifth in career innings (322.1). He also ranks third on UCLA's single-season strikeouts list with 153 as a sophomore and sixth on the Pac-10 Conference's career strikeouts list (376). He's the only player at UCLA to log at least 100 strikeouts in each of three seasons.