All About Cole Tucker's Parents, Erin and Jackie Tucker

The professional baseball player has always had his mom and dad's support

Cole Tucker’s athleticism is in his genes, thanks to his parents, Jackie and Erin Tucker.

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Cole grew up playing baseball with his two brothers, Quinn and Cole, and the trio were trained by their dad, Jackie, a former minor league player. Meanwhile, his mom, Erin, played volleyball and ran track in college.

Cole played baseball at Mountain Pointe High School in Ahwatukee, Arizona, and joined the major leagues in 2019 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He then played one season for the Colorado Rockies before becoming a free agent in October 2023.

The MLB star credits his parents, Jackie and Erin, for supporting him along the way.

“I know everybody says, ‘My parents were the best,’ but mine really are,” he told The Athletic in 2019. “They would do anything. They’re two of the most selfless people I’ve ever met. I am who I am, and I am where I am because of Erin and Jackie Tucker.”

The athlete, who married actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens in December 2023, added, “I want to do it for them. I want to be in the big leagues and make a boatload of money so they can be comfortable and have a great life.”

Here’s everything to know about Cole Tucker’s parents, Erin and Jackie Tucker.

They are both former athletes

Both of Cole’s parents have athletic backgrounds. They met when Jackie attended Florida Southern College in Lakeside, Florida, where he was among the first Black baseball players. Erin was the sister of Jackie’s roommate, and they were introduced at the College World Series.

In 1984, Jackie was signed to the St. Louis Cardinals’ rookie baseball team in Johnson City, Tennessee, where he was an infielder for two years. He later played professionally in Europe and Canada.

For her part, Erin played volleyball and ran track at the University of Arizona. Now, she works in finance for a construction technology firm, and Jackie sells insurance.

“When I show my kids a heptathlon on TV, and I tell them, ‘Yeah, I did that,’ they’re like, ‘You did not,’ ” she told The Athletic in 2019. “They can’t picture me doing that at a very competitive level.”

They traveled the world together

After being released from the Cardinals, Jackie was offered a spot on a team in the Netherlands, the Minolta Pioneers, so he and Erin moved to Amsterdam.

“I still loved baseball and wasn’t ready to stop right then,” he told The Athletic in 2019. “It was pre-kids, so we were allowed to have fun."

In 1990, the pair moved to Toronto, where Jackie joined a semi-professional team, but they soon started thinking about having a family — and it came to fruition when Erin got a job in Arizona.

“Erin got a really good job and said, ‘If you want to have kids, I’m not going to do it while we’re going all over the world,’ ” Jackie recalled. “Right then, I knew I was done playing. I went back to school, got my master’s degree and opened a State Farm business.”

They faced challenges as an interracial couple

When Jackie was playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, he and Erin, who is White, would often travel through small towns in Appalachia, and they remember experiencing racism.

Cole's father recalled to The Athletic how people "threw pennies" at them on the field. "It was sad," he said.

“The Latin and black players were allowed to get room service at the hotel, but we weren’t allowed to go out on the town because [the team] didn’t want any trouble," Jackie continued. "It was crazy, but that’s life. I tell my kids, and we laugh about it now. I used it as a life lesson. It made me stronger.”

In a 2021 interview with The Athletic, Cole commended his family’s perseverance, including his grandmother being the first Black teacher at a high school in Melbourne, Florida.

“I’m proud of my dad,” he said. “I’m proud of my grandparents. I’m proud of where I come from, how I was raised and what I stand for. I’m not afraid to voice my opinion on that.”

They have three sons

Shortly after moving to Arizona in the early 1990s, Jackie and Erin started their family. Their first son, Quinn, was born in 1992, followed by Cole in 1996. Their youngest son, Carson, was born in 2002.

All three boys grew up playing baseball, and after Cole was drafted in 2014, Carson followed in his footsteps.

He played for the University of Texas and in 2020, was drafted by the Cleveland Indians as the 23rd overall pick as a shortstop. He currently plays for the Lynchburg Hillcats, the Single-A affiliate of the Guardians, per the Minor League Baseball website.

As for Quinn, he is now a photographer and filmmaker, according to his Instagram.

Jackie taught Cole and his brothers everything about baseball

Quinn, Cole and Carson began playing baseball as young children, with Jackie leading the charge at home.

The former minor league player told The Athletic that he put his sons through a series of drills before teaching them to hit.

“For two years, I made them learn how to catch before I introduced them to a bat,” he said. “Now, they can always backhand a ball. That’s how I was taught. They came home one day and were like, ‘Dad, these guys at school were playing baseball with a bat! What’s that about?”

They are their sons’ biggest cheerleaders

When it comes to their athletic achievements, both Cole and Carson give their parents a lot of credit.

“We get our athleticism from our mother, but when it comes to the game of baseball, he helped us a lot,” Carson said of Jackie in a 2014 interview with The Ahwatukee Foothills News. “He showed us how to play the game right and told us what hard work can let you do wherever your dreams take you.”

“It’s pretty special, but they did it themselves,” Jackie countered. “I introduced the game to all three [sons] and they worked as much as they wanted.”

Although he had a baseball career himself, Cole says that his father didn't push him into the sport.

“My parents never pressured me to play,” Cole told The Athletic in 2019. “They wanted me to excel at whatever it was I wanted to do. It just so happened to be baseball.”

They help keep Cole grounded

When Cole signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates for $1.9 million, the young athlete was responsible with his earnings, thanks to his humble upbringing.

“That was a lot of money to our family,” Erin told The Athletic. “The only thing he bought was a car, just an ordinary Jeep. It’s not like he did anything outrageous or crazy."

She added, “He knows I would kick his butt if he tried to make any bad decisions.”

They’ve embraced Cole’s wife, Vanessa

Cole and Hudgens began dating after connecting through a virtual meditation group in 2020. They went Instagram official in 2021, and after getting engaged at the end of 2022, the pair got married on Dec. 2, 2023, sources confirmed to PEOPLE.

Long before becoming husband and wife, though, Hudgens was already part of Cole's family, celebrating Christmas with them in 2021.

“Happy holidays from the woo,” the baseball player captioned an Instagram photo of his parents, brothers and Hudgens in front of a Christmas tree.

Two months earlier, The High School Musical star shared pictures on social media of herself at a Phish concert with Cole and his brothers.

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