Coach JD Pruitt is entering his third year as the head baseball coach at Coastal Alabama - South in Bay Minette, where he led the Coyotes to 25 wins and a berth in the ACCC conference tournament in his first season and 30 victories just last year. In 2025, the Coyotes not only accumulated 30 wins, but finished third in the ACCC Conference, with two players earning ACCC All-Conference honors. During the 2024 campaign, Pruitt helped produce four ACCC All-Conference players, with two earning First-Team nods. Pruitt's overall record at the helm of Coastal Alabama - South Baseball sits at 55-56 ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Prior to arriving at Coastal Alabama, Coach Pruitt was the head baseball coach at Spanish Fort High School (Ala.) for five years. Preceding Spanish Fort, he served as an assistant varsity football coach, head strength and conditioning coordinator, and head baseball coach at Enterprise High School (Ala.). Prior to his employment at Enterprise, he served as a graduate assistant at Troy University (Ala.) as a strength and conditioning coach while graduating with a Masters in Physical Education in December of 2012. Preceding his graduate assistantship, Pruitt was an intern at Troy University and SPEED Sports Performance in Peachtree City, Ga.
Coach Pruitt is a graduate of G.W. Long where he was part of three state championship baseball teams and a total of nine state or conference championships for his career as a player and coach. From there, he signed a baseball scholarship with Central Alabama Community College and obtained an associate degree, while also being tabbed as an Academic All-American in 2005. Next, Pruitt signed with the University of Montevallo (Ala.) where he graduated with a degree in Exercise Science (’07), lettered in baseball for two years and was a two time All-American. In June of 2007, JD Pruitt was a 23rd-round selection in the First Year Players Draft by the Oakland A’s in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent three years in their minor league system before retiring in early 2010. Also in 2010, Pruitt was tabbed First-Team All-Decade Team of the Gulf South Conference.
In 2018, Pruitt was inducted into the University of Montevallo Hall of Fame. Pruitt is a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Sports Performance Coach certified and a certified member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a Registered Strength Coaches in the state of Alabama.
During his high school coaching tenure, Coach Pruitt’s teams broke numerous school records. In 2017, his team broke the school record for wins (30), fielding % (.947), OBP (.435), home runs in game (7) which is also tied for second all-time in the state of Alabama. In 2018, his team broke the school records for stolen bases (121), HBP (85) which ranks sixth all-time in the state of Alabama. Additionally, his 2022 Spanish Fort team ranks sixth all-time in the state with 193 stolen bases in 37 games played. His 2023 Spanish Fort squad reached the State Finals and finished as the runner-up. From 2016-2023, he has coached 14 All-State players, three North/South All Stars, six Pre-Season Under Armour All-Americans, and one North/South All-Star Game MVP.
Coach Pruitt also serves on the board of the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association as the Secretary. During the summer, Coach Pruitt assists in various roles with USA Baseball including coaching duties with 13/14 ADP, 15U Training Camp, and Task Force and most recently as a staff member of the 15U National Team that finished with a gold medal in the WBSC Pan-American Games.
Pruitt is married to Melissa Pruitt and the proud father of twin girls (Isabella and Selena) and son (Alexander).
