NEW PALESTINE — Ashley Prange wants to win more than anything. Or at the very least, she wants to have the opportunity.
Now, she’s in position to accomplish exactly that.
A winner at nearly every stage of her softball career, including back-to-back IHSAA state championships in 2017 and 2018 while at New Palestine High School, Prange bet on herself this college offseason and it paid off.
This past May, Prange, who has been part of the Ohio State University softball program for three seasons, entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Approximately five weeks later, she found a new home with a national softball power at the University of Alabama.
“Honestly, (Ohio State) just wasn’t a right fit for me anymore. It didn’t fit what I wanted for my career goals anymore. I want to win a title. I want to win a conference championship, a national championship, and I didn’t see that happening at Ohio State,” Prange said.
Prange was a steady contributor while with the Ohio State Buckeyes, being named to the 2019 Big Ten All-Freshman Team and Second Team All-Big Ten the same year.
As a freshman in 2019, Prange hit .311 with 39 RBI, 25 runs, 10 doubles and nine home runs. She started, primarily at third base, in 51 games.
As a sophomore, she posted a .484 batting average with eight RBI and four home runs with nine starts.
This past spring, with the Buckeyes limited to a conference-only schedule and no Big Ten Tournament due to Big Ten COVID-19 restrictions, Prange hit .246 with 20 RBI, four home runs and 25 runs in 43 games.
The Buckeyes season officially ended on May 16, but as one door closed for Prange, a new one opened once she entered the portal four days later.
“(Alabama) came to me, actually, because once you enter the transfer portal they can contact you, and they reached out,” she said. “We kind of stayed in touch throughout the (Women’s College) World Series because they were obviously playing in June.”
The nationally-ranked Crimson Tide rolled through the SEC Tournament this spring and continued their run through the NCAA regionals and super regional before losing to Florida State, 8-5, on June 7 during the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Ten days later, however, Crimson Tide head coach Patrick Murphy and assistant head coach Alyson Habetz were already thinking 2021-22, and Prange was in their future plans.
The Alabama coaching staff invited Prange and her family for an official visit the week of June 17, and while they dined at the River near Riverwalk Place in Tuscaloosa, Ala., they served up an offer.
“When that door opened, it’s pretty hard to turn down Alabama. They’re No. 3 in the nation. A big new door,” Prange said. “I was ecstatic because that’s like a dream come true to me. To even be considered to play on that stage is amazing. I was so excited and my family was super excited, too. We were at dinner, and I just accepted it at dinner with the coaches. I couldn’t wait.”
Never one to cower in the face of a challenge, Prange, the 2018 Indiana Gatorade Softball Player of the Year, had to risk everything in order to get to where she wanted to be.
“I knew because of my past, I had a chance of playing somewhere big, but then also hoping and praying that things did come true. That’s kind of a huge leap of faith when you have something like I had at Ohio State to walk away from it because that’s huge,” Prange said. “But from the moment it all started, I was super at peace with my decision. It was actually, a smooth process, which was super nice.”
In retrospect, the 2020-21 season was far from ideal, Prange admitted.
From strict COVID-19 protocols to not having a conference tournament as the Buckeyes finished 24-19 overall, this season tested Prange.
Yet, from hardship, she found a new future of possibility.
“It was super frustrating because we didn’t get a chance. You play all season and then there’s really nothing to compete for at the end. It was just the outright winners, so that’s frustrating and obviously, we didn’t make it to regionals, so we were just playing to have a good record at that point,” Prange said.
With two years of NCAA eligibility remaining, Prange will have more to strive towards than a just winning record at Rhoads Stadium.
“It motivates me a ton. Obviously, we’re going to be competing for something big, and I want to make a contribution to that, so now I train all day every day,” Prange said. “It’s a big difference.”
Alabama has made 22 NCAA tournament appearances since 1999. The Crimson Tide have won six SEC tournament championships, including this season, and have one NCAA national title to their credit in 2012 with a runner-up finish in 2014.
Since 2000, the Crimson Tide have appeared in 13 NCAA Women’s College World Series.
“I told them I would play anywhere I would get an opportunity,” Prange said. “They asked if I stole bases, and I told them, ‘I can. I’ll try.’ It still doesn’t feel real, honestly.”
While the reality sinks in, Prange has already dug in, ramping up her offseason training by taking up boxing and remaining faithful to her conditioning at IFAST (Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training).
“I started boxing actually, which has been a really cool form of cross-training,” Prange said. “Usually, I box in the morning from 8-10, and then I go to IFAST (Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training) where I went through high school, usually go to the field with my family and then I go lift.”
At Alabama, Prange will join a former teammate in fellow incoming senior Montana Fouts, a pitcher, who played with her during her high school summer club season.
In the meantime, Prange is committed to improving her numbers from 2020-21, while also shagging fly balls and grounders from her mother, Laurie, and father, Scott at home before hitting the cages.
“Just staying consistent because if you swing the bat in college, you’re going to find a spot on the field. So I just want to make sure I’m staying at the top of my game and be consistent with my abilities at the plate,” Prange said.
“I’ve seen my numbers before and I know that I’m better than that. I can do better than my scouting report, and I’d like to be. That’s where I’m at right now.”
