FLORENCE, Ala. (July 21, 2025) – Fresh off a historic baseball season, University of North Alabama Director of Athletics Dr. Josh Looney announced a contract extension for head coach Jad Prachniak on Monday.
 
Prachniak receives a two-year extension to his current contract, which will run through the 2028 season with an option for 2029.
 
"When Coach Prachniak arrived at UNA ahead of the 2022-23 season, we launched a multi-year plan to restore and elevate UNA Baseball's competitive expectations at the Division I level," said Looney. "Jad has met every benchmark with a steady, confident, mission-driven approach. This past season was our most impressive yet in Division I — despite opening with 34 straight road games and training at various off-site locations throughout fall, winter and spring due to ongoing construction of the new Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium. With Bank Independent Stadium set to open in 2026, we're well-positioned to keep climbing under Jad's leadership."
 
Last season, the Lions achieved new Division I single season records despite what was arguably the toughest schedule in school history. UNA won 24 games and finished with a 16-14 conference record — both of which are the most wins since 2018.
 
The Lions battled six teams from the SEC and three former NCAA National Champions in 2025, including a three-game series at this year's national champion, LSU. The Lions also played 2025 College World Series finalist Murray State in a home-and-home.
 
Some notable wins from last season include a three-game series win over Army at Toyota Field — home of the Rocket City Trash Pandas — and a series win over Austin Peay in Muscle Shoals. The Lions also made their first-ever appearance in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, eliminating North Florida with a 14-11 win.
 
In 2026, Prachniak will enter his fourth season at UNA. He owns a career record of 329-230-2 across 12 seasons. Prachniak is just the 11th head baseball coach in the 91-year history of the sport at UNA and only the third head coach of the Lions in the last 40 seasons.
 
Prior to UNA, Prachniak was the top assistant coach at Delaware for two years. He was also the head skipper for NCAA Division II powerhouse West Chester, leading the program to a pair of NCAA Division II National Championships in 2012 and 2017.
 
"I am grateful to be a part of the University of North Alabama and the Shoals community," said Prackniak. "The last three years has shown what a special place this is to my family — my wife Kelly and daughter Emilia — as well as myself from a personal and professional standpoint.  We have incredible leadership on campus and within our athletic department from Dr. Kitts and Dr. Looney. I appreciate their support and guidance.
 
"I have been fortunate to work alongside top-notch assistant coaches and lead talented and highly motivated student-athletes. The consistent growth of our program over the last three years has been fun to be a part of. I see a clear path for us to continue to build and raise the expectations of our program. I'd also like to thank my coaching colleagues and support staff within our athletic department; we have a collection of kind and authentic people all pulling the same direction. It truly is what makes North Alabama such a special place."
 
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