The bottles were orange.
When the Milwaukee Brewers beat San Diego on Oct. 7 to win the National League Division Series, rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt needed something to celebrate with. Pratt is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and doesn't drink, and the sparkling cider set aside for him was nowhere to be found. So he grabbed glass bottles of Fanta Orange, swigged one through an on-field interview, and told a Milwaukee TV station it "tastes special" after a win like that. A fan's post about it went everywhere.
Most of the country met Cooper Pratt that night. Utah Valley already had a reason to know the name. His uncle coaches BYU baseball. His mother played softball at Utah Valley University in Orem. His older brother wore a BYU uniform. And the Brewers, with Pratt starting at shortstop, are now one win from the World Series.
Pratt is the biggest Utah story of this postseason, but not the only one. Here is every thread running from the 2026 MLB playoffs back to Provo, Orem and the rest of the state.
At a glance
| Player | Team | The Utah tie | Postseason status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Pratt | Milwaukee Brewers | Parents from Tooele Valley; mother played at UVU; uncle is BYU coach Trent Pratt; brother played at BYU | Starting shortstop; Brewers lead NLCS 3-0 |
| Daniel Schneemann | Cleveland Guardians | Played at BYU 2016-18; wife played and coached softball at BYU | On ALDS roster, left off ALCS roster |
| Justin Sterner | Athletics | BYU pitcher 2018-20 after a mission in Samoa | Athletics missed the playoffs |
| Tanner Banks | Philadelphia Phillies | Riverton High, Salt Lake Community College, University of Utah | Phillies lost in the Wild Card Series |
Cooper Pratt: a Utah family's shortstop
The family
Pratt was born in Hialeah, Florida, and grew up in Mississippi, but the family tree is planted in Utah. His parents, Russell and Heidi Pratt, both grew up in Tooele Valley and were married in the Salt Lake Temple.
- Russell played infield at the University of Utah. He later helped create "The Farm," a baseball development complex near Oxford, Mississippi, and serves as bishop of the Latter-day Saint ward in Oxford.
- Heidi, now a family physician, played college softball at Utah Valley University and Nova Southeastern and spent a year coaching at the college level.
- Four of Russell's five brothers played college baseball. One of them, Trent Pratt, is BYU's head coach.
That is the Provo connection that runs deepest. Trent, a Tooele High graduate and former catcher, played at Arizona State and Auburn, played four professional seasons after the Phillies drafted him, and coached six seasons at Dixie State before joining BYU's staff in 2013. He was named BYU's head coach in June 2022.
Cooper's older brother Ozzie played for his uncle that spring. As a BYU freshman in 2022, Ozzie hit .288 with 45 hits in 48 games and made the West Coast Conference All-Freshman team; Trent called him a "spark plug" who is "not afraid of anything." Ozzie later played at Southern Miss. A younger brother, Quincy, is committed to Ole Miss, and the youngest, Jett, plays high school ball. When Cooper received his Minor League Gold Glove in Biloxi in 2025, his grandparents made the trip from Utah to see it.
The path
Pratt was a 6-foot-4 shortstop at Magnolia Heights School in Senatobia, Mississippi, committed to Ole Miss and ranked No. 31 in MLB Pipeline's top 100 draft prospects heading into his senior season. His mother told the Church News he was projected as a second- or third-round pick. Milwaukee took him in the sixth round, 182nd overall, in 2023, and offered what she called "second-round money." He prayed about it and signed.
The minor leagues went quickly:
- 2024: shared Brewers Minor League Player of the Year honors, hit .277 with 8 homers, 45 RBIs and 27 steals at two Class A stops, played in the All-Star Futures Game, and won a Minor League Gold Glove as the top defensive shortstop in the minors.
- 2025: Double-A Biloxi, back in his home state.
- April 3, 2026: before he had played a big league game, the Brewers signed him to an eight-year, $50 million contract through 2033, with club options beyond. Baseball America ranked him the organization's No. 3 prospect and No. 51 overall.
- June 16, 2026: after 58 games at Triple-A Nashville, he debuted against Cleveland. His father drove about 700 miles from Oxford to be there.
He never gave the job back. In 74 regular-season games, Pratt hit .281 with 3 home runs, 34 RBIs and 19 stolen bases as the Brewers' starting shortstop. He missed the team's division-clinching party in September with a flu-like illness. He got his T-shirt and sparkling cider later.
The postseason
Pratt has been at shortstop through the whole run:
- NLDS vs. San Diego: He scored in Game 3 and doubled in Game 4, and Milwaukee clinched the series 3-1 on Oct. 7. Then came the Fanta.
- NLCS vs. the Dodgers: He laid down a sacrifice bunt in Game 1, a 2-1 Brewers win, and the Brewers took Game 2 7-4. On Oct. 14 in Los Angeles, Milwaukee won Game 3 6-2 to take a 3-0 series lead over the two-time defending champions.
- Through his first six playoff games he was hitting .286 (6 for 21), per the Church News.
Game 4 is Thursday night, Oct. 15, at Dodger Stadium. One more win sends the Brewers to the World Series, which opens Friday, Oct. 23, on Fox.
The faith
The Church News profile published Oct. 14 is worth reading in full. A few things Pratt shared:
- He read the Book of Mormon cover to cover for the first time after the Brewers drafted him in 2023, and says that halfway through he received a personal witness that it is true.
- He keeps his faith going on the road by listening to general conference talks and studying scriptures, and he pays tithing.
- His father says he has "always done the little things," like attending church and early-morning seminary. "He's comfortable in his own skin," Russell said. "He knows who he is."
- His uncle Trent: "His faith matters to him. He's not afraid to talk about it."
- His advice for young Latter-day Saint athletes: "Choose the right, do your best and work hard."
On the attention the soda drew, Pratt said, "I didn't expect it to blow up the way that it blew up." And on what comes next: "Hopefully we win it all and I'll celebrate with Fanta."
Daniel Schneemann: BYU's utility man, waiting on a call
If Pratt is the newcomer, Daniel Schneemann is the grinder.
The San Diego native played three seasons at BYU (2016-18), hitting .291 in 140 games and winning the 2017 WCC Defensive Player of the Year award at shortstop. Cleveland drafted him with the 1,003rd pick in 2018, and he spent six seasons and 445 games in the minors before the call came. In his debut on June 2, 2024, he doubled in two runs. In his first six games he played six different positions, which the Deseret News reported was a first for any big leaguer since 1906.
The Provo ties did not end when he left. His wife, Allie Hancock-Schneemann, played softball at BYU and has coached there as an assistant.
Schneemann's 2026 has been a utility season: by MLB's count he hit .210 with 7 home runs and 30 RBIs in 262 at-bats, and he played every infield spot except first plus all three outfield spots. One of his best nights was a BYU reunion. On June 28 in Cleveland, he lined a 97 mph fastball from former BYU teammate Michael Rucker, then pitching for Seattle, into center for a run-scoring hit that started a six-run comeback in a 6-5 Guardians win.
In October, his role has been the hardest one: waiting. Schneemann was on Cleveland's roster for the AL Division Series comeback against the White Sox, when the Guardians lost the first two games and won the next three, but he did not get into a game. Before the ALCS against Tampa Bay, Cleveland left him off to carry a 13th pitcher, Slade Cecconi. "Having that 13th pitcher was really important to us," manager Stephen Vogt said. The ALCS was tied 1-1 going into Game 3 in Cleveland on Oct. 15. Rosters can change before the World Series, so if the Guardians get there, Schneemann could be back.
Justin Sterner: the walk-on who still comes home
The 2024 Church News story that first put Justin Sterner and Schneemann side by side is a good reminder of how unlikely some of these careers are. Sterner, from Laguna Niguel, California, had no college offers out of high school. He served a two-year mission in Apia, Samoa, then walked on at BYU, where from 2018 to 2020 he went 8-3 with a 2.86 ERA and 103 strikeouts. He went undrafted in 2020 and signed with Miami after a scout saw him in a summer league game, at nearly 24. His brothers Jack and Luke pitched for BYU too.
Sterner debuted with Tampa Bay on May 31, 2024, with his wife Courtney and their son in the stands, and has pitched in relief for the Athletics since 2025. The A's did not make the 2026 postseason, so he is watching this October from home. He still finds his way back to Provo: he told the Deseret News this spring that his father has BYU basketball season tickets and that he goes to games at the Marriott Center, and that he wants to "give back to BYU whenever I can because it helped me so much."
The other Utah threads
- Tanner Banks, a left-handed reliever from Riverton High who pitched at Salt Lake Community College and the University of Utah, came back from a forearm strain in September for the Phillies. Philadelphia was knocked out by Atlanta in the Wild Card Series.
- Michael Rucker, who went 11-1 for BYU in 2016, pitched for Seattle this season. The Mariners missed the playoffs.
- Paxton Schultz, an Orem native who pitched at UVU, made the Nationals' bullpen this year. Washington did not make the postseason.
Why it lands in Provo
Utah has no major league team yet. USA Today's Bob Nightengale has reported that Utah and Nashville are seen as the heavy favorites for MLB's next two expansion franchises, with Big League Utah's planned ballpark at the Power District in Salt Lake City. But the state's baseball ties are already all over October: a shortstop whose parents met in Tooele Valley, whose mother played in Orem and whose uncle runs BYU's program, and a BYU infielder hoping for one more phone call.
If you are watching tonight, our list of the best places to watch sports in Provo has the screens. For live baseball closer to home, the Salt Lake Bees open their 2027 season March 26, and BYU baseball plays its home games on campus each spring; our BYU guide covers getting around campus. Families with young players can start with our youth baseball and softball guide.
This story will be updated as the Brewers and Guardians play on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Cooper Pratt?
What is Cooper Pratt's connection to Provo and Utah?
Why did Cooper Pratt celebrate with Fanta?
Is Cooper Pratt related to BYU baseball coach Trent Pratt?
Is Daniel Schneemann playing in the 2026 playoffs?
Where did Daniel Schneemann play college baseball?
What about Justin Sterner?
When is the 2026 World Series?
Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- Trent Pratt named BYU baseball head coach, BYU Athletics. Checked October 15, 2026.
- Brewers Sign Infielder Cooper Pratt to Multi-Year Contract, Milwaukee Brewers / MLB.com. Checked October 15, 2026.
- Brewers' Pratt celebrates MiLB Gold Glove with family ... and a home run, MLB.com. Checked October 15, 2026.
- Guardians swap in Cecconi for Schneemann, bolstering staff for ALCS, MLB.com. Checked October 15, 2026.
- Daniel Schneemann player page, MLB.com. Checked October 15, 2026.
- Beyond the Fanta: Milwaukee shortstop Cooper Pratt's faith and journey to the big leagues, Church News. Checked October 15, 2026.
- Brewers shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt called up ahead of series with Guardians, KSL / Associated Press. Checked October 15, 2026.
- Milwaukee Brewers' Cooper Pratt celebrates with orange soda, Deseret News. Checked October 15, 2026.
- How 2 freshmen from Mississippi left mark on BYU baseball ahead of WCC Tournament, KSL. Checked October 15, 2026.
- Oxford's Cooper Pratt weighs MLB draft, Ole Miss, The Oxford Eagle. Checked October 15, 2026.
- 2026 MLB playoff bracket: schedule, scores, results, CBS Sports. Checked October 15, 2026.
- NLCS Game 3: Brewers take 3-0 series lead over Dodgers, CBS Sports. Checked October 15, 2026.
- BYU baseball alumni Daniel Schneemann, Michael Rucker face off, Deseret News. Checked October 15, 2026.
- Major League Baseball's Opening Day includes 2 BYU Cougars, Deseret News. Checked October 15, 2026.
- Justin Sterner, Daniel Schneemann make MLB debuts, Church News. Checked October 15, 2026.
- BYU ties follow this major leaguer everywhere he goes, Deseret News. Checked October 15, 2026.
- Phillies left-hander Tanner Banks comes off IL, Atlanta Journal-Constitution / AP. Checked October 15, 2026.
- How MLB players from Utah schools have fared thus far in 2026, Deseret News. Checked October 15, 2026.
- How Utah climbed to the top of MLB expansion conversation, KSL Sports. Checked October 15, 2026.
