Memphis hires Trena Prater of Campbell as next softball coach

Memphis athletic director Ed Scott announce Monday the Tigers have hired Trena Prater as its next softball coach.

Prater has been coach at Campbell the past two seasons. In 2023, she led the Camels to a share of the Big South regular-season championship, a Big South Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Last season, Campbell's first in the Coastal Athletic Association, the Camels won the regular-season league championship. The Camels' 22 conference wins are the most in CAA history.

Campbell was 79-39-1 in Prater's two seasons there. Before that, Prater was a head coach for seven seasons at Buffalo and Hampton, as well as an assistant coach at various stops, including Mississippi Valley State, Maryland, George Washington, UCF and Iowa.

"Coach Prater is a proven winner and an exceptional leader of student-athletes on and off the field," Scott said in a school release. "As she has done throughout her career, she will build a well-rounded team that competes for championships. This is a wonderful day for the Memphis Tigers, and I look forward to supporting Coach Prater as she brings an exciting brand of softball to Tiger Nation."

Prater's predecessor, Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro, resigned in June after two underwhelming seasons at Memphis. The Tigers went just 14-87 under VanBrakle Prothro, who is now the pitching coach at Florida.

"I'd like to thank Dr. Scott and (deputy athletic director) Lauren Ashman for believing in me and my vision for the Memphis softball program," Prater said in the release. "I feel blessed and beyond grateful for this opportunity to lead these young ladies to competitive greatness. I can't wait to develop my team, reconnect with alumni, collaborate with other coaches in the athletic department and make an impact in the community. Taking this job is bigger than me."

Memphis began playing softball in 2006, and has made just one NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011. The Tigers have won 20 games or less every season since 2019. The only time Memphis finished over .500 in conference play was 2011 (Conference USA) and it has never finished better than fourth place in league play.

Last season, Campbell led the CAA in team batting average (.293) and fielding percentage (.973). The Camels were also 10th in the nation with 109 stolen bases and their 2.09 team earned run average ranked 15th in the country.

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Prater was named CAA Coach of the Year in May, while Campbell also had the league's player of the year (Alyssa Henault, who has transferred to Liberty), pitcher of the year (Isabella Smith, who has transferred to Oklahoma) and rookie of the year (Lindsey Lumsden, who has transferred to North Carolina). In all, five Camels earned first-team all-conference honors (including outfielder Tyra Parker and catcher Tristin Doster).

As a player, Prater was a star at LSU (1999-2002). She was the SEC Player of the Year and a semifinalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year in 2002.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis softball names Campbell's Trena Prater as next coach