NEW PALESTINE — Ashley Prange made a couple of different moves in the past year.
First, she made the big one, from New Palestine High School to Ohio State University, joining the Buckeyes softball team for her freshman year of college in the fall of 2018.
Then, once she got to Columbus, Ohio, she shifted roughly 30 feet to her right, moving from her high school position of shortstop to her freshman year position of third base. Neither move slowed the 2018 Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year and Miss Softball down much.
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Prange wrapped up her first year at Ohio State tying for the team in triples while striking out the least, was second in RBIs with 39 and ranked in the top four on her team in batting average (.311), runs (25), hits (50), doubles (10), home runs (9) and slugging (.565).
She earned Second Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors, helping the Buckeyes finish fourth in the conference with a 35-18 overall record and a 17-6 conference record.
The Buckeyes lost to Wisconsin in the Big Ten quarterfinals and were eliminated in the Knoxville Regional of the NCAA Tournament, where Prange hit three home runs in the three tournament games Ohio State played.
The Daily Reporter recently caught up with Prange at New Palestine during her summer break to talk about her first year in college.
DR: What was the transition like from New Palestine to Ohio State? What was that experience like for your freshman year?
AP: It was awesome, just seeing that the cultures and the game itself isn’t much different. Yeah, the pace is quicker, but the actual game itself I didn’t find much different. It was hard being away from home, but I feel like I adjusted pretty well and I enjoyed it a lot.
Did you envision getting to start as a freshman on a Big Ten team that won a lot of games? Did you think that you were going to get that kind of playing time and have that kind of impact this season?
I wouldn’t say that I envisioned it, but I knew that it was definitely a goal of mine and I would be willing to do whatever it took to be able to be on the field and help my team any way that I could.
How much did playing at New Palestine and having so much success there help in the big games like the NCAA Tournament?
I think it helped just being a part of a culture that is always under a lot of pressure, like softball here is. We always had a target on our back, always had to play on the big stage. And that final game, there’s a lot of pressure. I think just knowing how to control yourself when it is a big moment, and how to come through when all eyes are on you.
How were you able to be so successful, stepping up a level and facing college pitching?
Just putting in the time. I stayed after practice almost every day to take extra reps on defense or offense, whatever I needed that day. Just giving each rep all your effort, every day.
Were you happy with your individual season? Do you think you could have done more, or did you overachieve from what you expected?
I had a rough spot in the middle. I think how I overcame that, I was happy with. My goals for myself would be higher. I guess I’m content with how I did, but I would like to get better.
Team-wise, you had a lot more losses than you were used to at New Palestine. Was that a tough adjustment at all to be in a lot more competitive games, to be on the wrong end of more games, or is that something you expected at this level?
I think a little bit of both. It’s hard, because being a competitor, you always hate to lose. You never want to be on that side of the spectrum. But also realizing that it’s a step up and a completely different level than high school ball, and just being able to be OK either way but not settling at the same time.
What do you hope to accomplish as a sophomore? What are some of your goals?
I’d love to see our team get to Super Regionals. I think that’d be a huge milestone for our program.
Did you have a favorite moment this year at Ohio State?
I think my favorite moment would be hitting two home runs off Tennessee in the Regional.
You mentioned it being tough to be away from home. Would you say you’ve settled in? Are you pretty close with your team now, pretty comfortable on campus?
It’s like a second home. My teammates are all amazing. We spend a lot of time together, on and off the field. I love them. They’ve really became my second family, a group of sisters I have there even though my actual family is not there.
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Former New Palestine standout Ashley Prange had a successful freshman season at Ohio State University, ranking near the top of the Buckeyes roster in nearly every offensive category.
Stat;Team rank
.311 batting avg.;4th
25 runs;4th
50 hits;3rd
10 doubles;3rd
2 triples;tied 1st
9 home runs;4th
39 RBIs;2nd
.565 slugging %;3rd
7 strikeouts;1st
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