Oberlin, Ohio - Veteran coach Julie Pratt has been named head softball coach at Oberlin College, Associate Vice President for Athletics Advancement and Delta Lodge Director of Athletics & Physical Education Natalie Winkelfoos announced. 

Pratt brings 26 years of collegiate coaching experience to Oberlin, most recently serving as the assistant coach at Case Western Reserve University since the fall of 2019. This past spring, Pratt helped guide the Spartans into the NCAA Super Regionals, finishing the season with a 30-12 record and National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) ranking of 13th in the country. 

"Julie brings a wealth of experience and energy to the softball program," Winkelfoos said. The care and joy she will provide to our student-athletes and her competitive pursuits will be advantageous for our entire athletics community.  There is no doubt OCSB will continue its climb with Coach Pratt leading."

In two full seasons of competition (2021-22), the Spartans won 57 games with Pratt on staff en route to earning University Athletic Association (UAA) and NFCA Region VII Coaching Staff of the Year honors this past season. 

A former standout player at the University of Akron, Pratt holds the doubles record and is in the top 10 in the record books for hits, RBI, and batting average. She spent 13 seasons as the associate head coach at her alma mater before her tenure at CWRU. While with the Zips, she assisted in all aspects of the program while coaching multiple all-conference and all-region selections in addition to guiding her players to numerous school records. 

"I would like to thank Natalie for this incredible opportunity to lead the Oberlin Softball program," Pratt said. "Creg Jantz and the entire search committee have been exceptional throughout this process. I am passionate about developing the student-athlete and will provide leadership, structure and support. I appreciate the foundation the Coach Schoenhoft has constructed and will work to elevate Oberlin softball to prominence in the NCAC."

From 1999-2005, Pratt coached at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), spending the final six seasons as head coach. She became just one of two coaches in program history to surpass 100-career wins, which included a 20-win season in 2005 and Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year honors. During her tenure with the Jaguars, she mentored 13 all-conference players and 14 academic all-conference selections. Three players were named Mid-Con Newcomer of the Year and three earned all-region status under her tutelage.

As a member of the Wright State coach staff from 1996-98, Pratt aided in the Raiders setting a then school-record total of 29 wins in the 1997 season. 

Prior to graduating from the University of Akron in 1996 with a degree in sociology and corrections, Pratt was a four-year letterwinner for the Zips, earning All-Mid-American Conference honors in 1994. She was inducted into the University's Varsity 'A' Hall of Fame in 2013.