Cooper Pratt's World Series Title Has Utah College Roots: The Utah, UVU and BYU Family Behind the Brewers' Rookie

Cooper Pratt is a world champion, and a good part of his family tree runs through Utah's college baseball and softball fields. The Milwaukee Brewers' rookie shortstop hit .421 in the 2026 World Series and set a rookie record with six consecutive hits as Milwaukee beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, to win the first World Series title in franchise history.

"I'm a world champion," Pratt said afterward, according to MLB.com. His manager, Pat Murphy, put it simply: "Coop is special, man."

Pratt is not a Utahn. He was born in Hialeah, Florida, grew up in northern Mississippi and never played college baseball. But his parents both played college sports in Utah, his older brother started his college career at BYU, and the man who coached that brother there is his uncle, BYU head coach Trent Pratt.

How did Cooper Pratt do in the 2026 World Series?

He went 8-for-19 with two doubles, a home run and seven RBIs in the five games, according to MLB.com. His six straight hits set the World Series record for consecutive hits by a rookie, breaking Brian Doyle's mark that had stood for 48 years. He was the first player with six straight Series hits since David Ortiz in 2013, and one short of Billy Hatcher's all-time record of seven, set in 1990.

The streak carried into the clincher. In Game 5 he drove in a run with a single off Drew Rasmussen in the second inning, singled again in the fifth for hit No. 6, and lifted a sacrifice fly in the sixth that made it 4-0. The night before, his leadoff home run in the 12th inning of Game 4 was not enough as the Rays won the only game Milwaukee lost in the series.

It capped a fast rise. Milwaukee drafted Pratt in the sixth round, 182nd overall, in 2023 out of Magnolia Heights High School in Senatobia, Mississippi, where he was Mississippi's Gatorade Player of the Year. He had committed to Ole Miss and, according to the Church News, had already started classes there when he signed. He made his major league debut on June 16, 2026, hit .281 with three home runs, 34 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 74 regular-season games, and has signed an eight-year, $50.75 million contract with the Brewers, according to MLB.com.

Who are Cooper Pratt's parents?

Russell and Heidi Pratt. Russell played baseball at the University of Utah, and Heidi played softball at Utah Valley and Nova Southeastern, according to the Church News and the family section of Ozzie Pratt's official player biographies at BYU and Southern Miss. Nova Southeastern's athletics Hall of Fame, which inducted her in 2012, credits her with the 1997 Florida Sun Conference Player of the Year award, NAIA All-America honors that year and a .392 career batting average.

The family are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Russell and Heidi were married in the Salt Lake Temple, the Church News reported. They now live in north Mississippi near Oxford, where Russell runs the Yalobusha Giants youth baseball organization, according to MLB.com.

Is Cooper Pratt related to BYU baseball coach Trent Pratt?

Yes. Trent Pratt, BYU's head baseball coach since June 2022, is Cooper's uncle. A Tooele High School graduate, Trent caught at Arizona State and Auburn, earned All-SEC honors as a senior in 2002 and played four professional seasons after the Philadelphia Phillies drafted him, according to BYU and MLB.com. He was an assistant at Dixie State, now Utah Tech, before taking over at BYU. Trent played at Arizona State under Murphy, the same manager who just won a World Series with his nephew, MLB.com noted.

He is one of several baseball-playing brothers. Four of Cooper's five uncles played college baseball, the Church News reported. Besides Trent, Scott played at Auburn and reached Triple-A, Paul played at Air Force and Kyle at Dixie State, while Mark played college football at Youngstown State.

"His faith matters to him. He's not afraid to talk about it," Trent told the Church News of his nephew.

Where did Ozzie Pratt play college baseball?

At BYU and then Southern Miss. Cooper's older brother Ozzie spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons at BYU, where he played for his uncle and hit .298 over two seasons, according to his Southern Miss biography. He transferred to Southern Miss, started all 63 games at shortstop in 2024, hit .317 and was named second-team All-Sun Belt. The family's younger brothers, Quincy and Jett, also play baseball, and Quincy has committed to Ole Miss, according to the Church News.

Key facts:

• Player: Cooper Pratt, Milwaukee Brewers rookie shortstop, born in Hialeah, Florida; Magnolia Heights High School, Senatobia, Mississippi; 2023 sixth-round pick (182nd overall)
• World Series: Brewers beat the Rays in five games, clinching 4-1 in Game 5 on Oct. 28, 2026, at Tropicana Field; Milwaukee's first World Series title
• Stat line: .421 (8-for-19), two doubles, one home run, seven RBIs; World Series rookie record of six consecutive hits
• Utah family ties: father Russell played baseball at the University of Utah; mother Heidi played softball at Utah Valley and Nova Southeastern; uncle Trent Pratt is BYU's head baseball coach; brother Ozzie played two seasons at BYU
• Other uncles: Scott (Auburn), Paul (Air Force), Kyle (Dixie State, now Utah Tech) played college baseball; Mark played college football at Youngstown State