Cooper Pratt follows family path while aiming for MLB
SENATOBIA, Miss. 鈥� Baseball is a specialty for the Pratt family and Cooper Pratt is blazing his own path in the sport.聽
Growing up, Pratt was surrounded by competitive minds, including his uncles and Scott Pratt, who played baseball at Auburn, his father Russell, who played at Utah, his Ozzie, who currently plays at BYU and his mother , who was an All-American softball player at Nova Southeastern University. Being around those types of minds has helped Cooper become the top high school baseball player in Mississippi, but it also can raise expectations.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 very competitive between me and my brothers, but I haven鈥檛 really felt the pressure to try and live up to them,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more competitive between my brothers and seeing other players [compete]; I want to be better. But I never felt like I had to live up to any expectations.鈥�
Cooper鈥檚 family has a long history of competing at the collegiate level, and it could be easy to see that he would struggle with being the next member to compete there. Still, Cooper views it as a blessing rather than a hindrance.聽
鈥淢y family is a big baseball family,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚t [baseball] wasn鈥檛 forced upon me by any means, but it was like, 鈥極kay, this is what I鈥檓 going to do,鈥� from an early age, and me and all my brothers fell in love with baseball, and my parents helped coach us, and it鈥檚 been a blessing.鈥�
Cooper鈥檚 skills on the diamond continued to flourish, and that was highlighted last season when he helped Magnolia Heights to a 33-5 record and won the Class 5A state title in . He was also named Class 5A MAIS Player of the Year, but winning those awards can only mean so much to a player like Cooper, who is eager to improve daily.
We are underway from the with Cooper Pratt () ripping a single to left. (MS) 2023 路 signee
Profile:
FiveToolSE
— 鉁璅ive Tool Texas鉁� (@FiveToolTexas)
鈥淓very year, people improve,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e not getting better, people will pass you up. I try to get better every day, and when looking back on past years, I see the improvement I鈥檝e made. It鈥檚 cool to see how much you鈥檝e grown.鈥�
As his skills grew, others around the sport noticed, and his name rose on draft boards. However, Cooper isn鈥檛 focusing on any of that.
鈥淲hen they [rankings] first started coming out, I thought it was pretty cool,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 play well after seeing them, so I forgot all about that and stopped caring about all those things and what everyone said, and I started to play well again. I started to have fun and not focus on the things you can鈥檛 control.鈥�
Cooper Pratt ('23, MS) barrels this ball 101 mph off the bat for a 2-run double to LF. Possesses quick bat speed w/ advanced feel for the barrel. commit
— Dick鈥檚 Sporting Goods All-American Classic (@PGAllAmerican)
Having that mindset helped Cooper鈥檚 play tremendously, and, in turn, it helped him earn offers from top baseball programs like Ole Miss, to which he鈥檚 now committed.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 close to home; my parents can come watch, and they鈥檙e known to be a top program every year,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a dream come true to be able to say I committed to Ole Miss, and now I have the opportunity to play there next year, and I鈥檓 looking forward to it.鈥�
While there were other offers from top programs, Cooper knew he鈥檇 always wear the Rebels jersey.
鈥淥nce I got the offer, I committed that next week,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚 probably would鈥檝e ended up committing to Ole Miss sooner or later, so there was no reason to wait.鈥�
BPA 2023 Cooper Pratt @elp_john
— Yalobusha Giants / BPA Mississippi 馃嚭馃嚫 (@GIANTSYALOBUSHA)
Cooper is now in the midst of his final prep season, and there will be a lot of eyes on him, but one thing he is making sure everyone sees is how consistent he is and proving he can play at a high level.
鈥淚 try to be as consistent as possible,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 try to hit home runs, I don鈥檛 really play the game with flair, it鈥檚 routine, and I try to make the game look easy, and if I can do that and people notice that, it鈥檚 a win for me.鈥�
Looking up to players like Brandon Crawford and Troy Tulowitzki has helped Cooper realize that鈥檚 the way he wanted to carry himself.聽
鈥淚 really like watching Brandon Crawford,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know him, but I like the way he plays. I try and base my game around him and Troy Tulowitzki. I like the way Brandon Crawford plays defense, and I鈥檝e been watching him for a while; I really like him.鈥�
There will be plenty of challenging and great moments ahead for Cooper and his career, but whatever happens, he will be on the field refining his skill set and playing the game he鈥檚 fallen in love with.聽
鈥淏aseball has always been there for me,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something to do, and I love it; I go hit every night, and hours feel like minutes, and I鈥檓 blessed to be able to play this game because a lot of people can鈥檛, and it鈥檚 been instilled through my parents and brothers, so it鈥檚 always been there, and I can鈥檛 imagine my life without it.鈥�