WEST CHESTER, Pa. – West Chester University Director of Athletics, Dr. Edward M. Matejkovic, announced the hiring of Jad Prachniak to the position of head baseball coach Tuesday afternoon. Prachniak comes to West Chester from the College of William & Mary where he served as an assistant coach with the Tribe.
“I am very humbled by the opportunity to lead a program with a great tradition at such a prestigious institution,” Prachniak said. “It is an honor to join the West Chester University family. I am excited to build on the impressive history of Golden Rams Baseball.”
Prachniak served as the Tribe’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator during his six years under head coach Frank Leoni. He has tutored four pitchers, who went on to be drafted in the MLB First-Year Entry Draft, as well as the Colonial Athletic Association co-pitcher of the year this past spring – the first such honoree for a William & Mary hurler in school history.
The Tribe has prospered a great deal during Prachniak and Leoni’s reign in Williamsburg, Va. William & Mary won 36 games in 2008, second most in a single season in school history, witnessed 16 players earn All-CAA accolades and nine former student-athletes sign professional contracts. The Tribe’s 20 team saves in 2008 ranked third in all of Division I that spring.
“Prachniak is without a doubt one of the top young coaches in college baseball,” Matejkovic said. “He is an outstanding young man with a clear plan for Golden Rams baseball. The search committee did a tremendous job in identifying candidates with a strong baseball background, but also a commitment to the student-athlete as a whole. Jad stood out among that group.
“West Chester University’s baseball program is in good hands.”
This will be Prachniak’s first head coaching position in his six years of college coaching experience. The Lincoln, R.I., native graduated from University of Rhode Island in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a teaching certificate in physical education. He served as co-captain of the Rams in 2004 when URI won a school-record 35 contests and captured the Atlantic 10 Eastern Division title. He was also named a recipient of the scholar-athlete award as handed out by the State of Rhode Island House of Representatives as well as a recipient of the Rick Ligi Memorial Scholarship Award.
Prachniak is an active member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and has participated in several baseball instructional camps throughout his coaching career including: U.S. Naval Academy Baseball Leadership Camp (Annapolis, Md.), Stanford All-Star Baseball Camp (Palo Alto, Calif.) and Best in Virginia Baseball Camp (Farmville, Va.).
