WGTC Todd Pratt adds AD job to go with baseball coaching position

November 4, 2015

West Georgia Technical College has selected its head baseball coach, Todd Pratt, to become the school's new athletic director.

Pratt was named interim athletic director after the departure of Walter Dunson in July. He officially began his role as the new A.D. on Monday, November 2, and becomes the school's second athletic director since it started athletics less than a decade ago.

"We are very excited to have someone of the caliber of Todd Pratt to lead our athletic department," said West Georgia Tech President Steve G. Daniel. "Coach Pratt has demonstrated excellent leadership skills in his tenure as head baseball coach and during his time as interim athletic director. Athletics plays an integral role in the branding of our college. All four of our sports teams are strong and competitive, and all produce quality student-athletes across the board. I am confident that coach Pratt's leadership will help make us even stronger in the years to come."

Pratt will oversee an athletic department that has four sports - men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball and softball.

The Golden Knights compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), as a member of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) conference.

Baseball and softball are NJCAA Division-1 programs, while men's basketball and women's basketball compete on the Division-III level.

"I am so excited to have this opportunity to lead the athletic department at West Georgia Tech," Pratt said. "We have great coaches, outstanding student-athletes, and a history of competing with the best junior colleges in the state and across the nation. That will continue under my watch. I want to thank President Daniel and the senior leadership team at West Georgia Tech for entrusting me with the leadership of the Department."

In addition to his athletic director duties, Pratt will also continue to coach the school's baseball team.

Pratt was hired in 2011 as the school's first baseball coach and built the program from a club-level team that first year to its current NJCAA Division-I status.

Pratt coached West Georgia Tech to third-place finishes in the GCAA conference tournament in both 2013 and 2015.

West Georgia Tech's baseball program has produced 29 transfers to four-year schools in its five years of existence under Pratt's tutelage. Several other Golden Knights baseball players have transferred to four-year schools academically.

"Wins and championships are great and we will always set our goals high in terms of competition," Pratt said. "But the thing that I am most proud of is the fact that we are sending so many kids on to four-year schools, where they not only are getting an opportunity to continue to play baseball – but they are, in many cases, getting an education that they might otherwise not be able to obtain. That's why we are here. And we will continue that mission as an entire department."

Pratt came to West Georgia Tech following a professional baseball career that spanned more than two decades.

Pratt played in the 1993 and 2000 World Series and was a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.

Pratt has been an active member of the community, donating his time with several charitable organizations.