BYU Removes Interim Tag, Names Trent Pratt Baseball Head Coach
Jun 8, 2022, 1:50 PM | Updated: 2:12 pm
(BYU Photo Courtesy)
PROVO, Utah – BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe announced that the interim tag has been removed and Trent Pratt is officially the Cougars’ head baseball coach.
Pratt was named head coach on Wednesday, June 8.
“I feel really excited and blessed for this opportunity,” Pratt said in a statement. “I’m grateful to Tom Holmoe, President Worthen and BYU for their trust in me. I’m ready to get to work, and I’m looking forward to big things ahead for BYU baseball.”
Pratt will lead BYU into the Big 12 Conference in 2023.
#BYU promotes Trent Pratt to be the next @BYUBaseball head coach.
Pratt led BYU to a 16-9 record as interim coach.#BYUBASEBALL #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/NmMLMp6gqa
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 8, 2022
“Trent has done an excellent job leading our baseball team through his assignment as interim coach,” Holmoe said. “He quickly earned the respect and trust of our team and is the right choice to guide BYU Cougar baseball into the future, which shortly will include our entry into the Big 12.”
After former BYU head coach Mike Littlewood resigned midseason, Pratt was named interim head coach.
Prior to becoming the interim coach, Pratt served as BYU’s associate head coach under Littlewood.
Pratt worked under Littlewood from 2006-22, beginning at Dixie State. He joined Littlewood at BYU in 2012 and was elevated to associate head coach in 2017.
#BYU posted a 16-9 record with Trent Pratt as the interim coach. They earned a 4-seed in the WCC Tournament before falling to LMU in the opening round.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) June 8, 2022
Pratt led the Cougars throughout the remainder of the 2022 season.
Days after Littlewood’s abrupt resignation, BYU rallied behind Pratt for a hard-fought series win on the road against Nebraska in Lincoln. BYU closed the regular season strong, which was highlighted by a nine-game winning streak that included a 12-inning late-night thriller against Pacific.
During that winning streak, BYU AD Tom Holmoe was in attendance for many of those games and saw BYU baseball rally behind Pratt.
BYU finished with a 33-21 overall record, including 16-12 in West Coast Conference games. In May, the Cougars were eliminated by Loyola Marymount during the opening game of the WCC Tournament.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.