General | December 28, 2022
AIKEN, S.C. – After a national search, the University of South Carolina Aiken is pleased to announce Todd Wilkinson as the Director of Athletics.
Wilkinson will assume his duties on Feb. 1, 2023.
"Todd Wilkinson brings to USC Aiken nearly four decades of highly successful NCAA experience as a player, coach, and administrator," USC Aiken Chancellor Dr. Heimmermann stated. "We are thrilled to welcome Todd and his family to Aiken and look forward to his leadership of Pacer Athletics.
"I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Angie Osbon and the AD Search Committee for their outstanding service and to Cam Reagin, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, for his exceptional leadership of Pacer Athletics during this interim period."
Wilkinson has 37 years of coaching and administrator experience, including 30 years spent at Barton College.
"I am grateful to receive the opportunity to be the Director of Athletics at USC Aiken," Wilkinson said. "I want to thank Chancellor Heimmermann, the Chancellor's Cabinet, Search Committee Chair Angie Osbon, the Search Committee, and all the other USCA professionals engaged in the search process for selecting me to lead the Pacer Athletic Department. My wife (Lindsey) and I are overjoyed to be joining the Aiken and University community and becoming fully engaged soon.
"Joining the athletic and university team in place is exciting and I am anxious to begin collaborating with everyone to be the best version of the USC Aiken and Pacer Athletics that we can be. Excellence will be the standard and the exciting results we achieve will be outcomes from all the stakeholders passionate about USCA being aligned as one in serving our students. Pacer Athletics will work to put our product in front of the Aiken community as family friendly entertainment that showcases the best of the Division II student-athlete. We will work to create the excitement that draws the USC Aiken student body to support their school and feel the pride! I cannot wait to get started with Pacer Nation and the Aiken community!"
Wilkinson spent the last eight years as the Director of Athletics with Barton. During his time as the Director of Athletics, he supervised over 50 staff members and oversaw 690 student-athletes while adding several athletic teams, including football, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's swimming and cheer/dance.
Since 2015, Barton captured 17 conference championships, registered 12 runner-up spots, sent eight teams to the NCAA Championships and garnered nine individual All-America accolades. Additionally, the GPA of the student-athletes ranged between 3.1-3.2.
Wilkinson serves as the Conference Carolinas baseball liaison and participates on the Regional Advisory Committee for NCAA Division II baseball. Wilkinson was appointed as the one Division 2 Administrator to the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee in 2020 and will serve as a member of this prestigious group through 2024.
Prior to his role as the Director of Athletics, Wilkinson served three years as Assistant Athletic Director and Compliance Director for three years. His responsibilities included game management, operations management, transportation management and facilities oversight of Wilson Gymnasium and the Outdoor Athletic Complex.
Wilkinson has a solid coaching background as well. He was hired as Barton's baseball coach in 1988 and became the winningest coach in school history, tallying a mark of 496-447-3 over 19 seasons. Wilkinson led his squad to league championships in 1993, 1995, 2002 and 2006 while picking up league or district Coach of the Year honors four times. His hard work and dedication to the Bulldogs was recognized with his induction into the Barton College Hall of Fame on Oct. 18, 2019.
A native of Plattsburgh, N.Y., Wilkinson attended the University of North Carolina where he was a catcher and an outfielder for the Tar Heels for four years. As a senior, he hit three home runs against Wake Forest in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament – a record he still shares – to earn Tournament MVP honors. He was an all-ACC outfielder and All-ACC Academic selection his senior campaign.
Following college, he was drafted by the Montreal Expos and played outfield and first base for Jamestown in the N.Y.-Penn League. He was named Expos Minor League Player of the Month in July of 1984. Wilkinson was invited to the Expos winter instructional league and attended spring training in 1985.
He returned to UNC as an assistant coach in 1985, where he served until he joined the staff at Atlantic Christian (now Barton) College in 1988 at age 26. Wilkinson made an immediate impact on the baseball program, posting an overall record of 217-163-2 and conference mark of 86-56 over the first eight seasons.
Wilkinson left Barton in 1995, serving three seasons as assistant baseball coach at UNC Wilmington and two years as assistant director of the North Carolina Baseball Academy in Greensboro, N.C., before returning to lead the Bulldogs beginning in 2000-01.
In addition to earning his bachelor's degree in education from UNC, Wilkinson received his master's in education from East Carolina University.
