RICHARDSON, Texas – Former NCAA Women's College World Series participant and two-time All-Southeastern Conference First Team selection Ashley Prange joins the UT Dallas softball staff as an assistant coach, head coach Casey Dickson announced on Friday. Prange will work primarily with the Comets' defense while also assisting with recruiting
Prange arrives in Richardson after serving as an assistant coach at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla., during the 2024-25 season. She helped guide the Fire to an NAIA Region II Coaching Staff of the Year honor while working with the program's offense, defense and recruiting efforts. Her responsibilities also included coordinating team operations, travel, meals and events.
Before Southeastern, Prange spent the 2024 season as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she began her collegiate coaching career under head coach A.J. Daugherty. With the Blazers, she gained Division I coaching experience while assisting with offensive and defensive development, recruiting and day-to-day program operations.
"Ashley has a coaching style that aligns perfectly with the vision of our softball program - impact the person and sharpen the athlete," said Dickson. "I look forward to the immediate impact she will have as an inspirational coach and an impactful recruiter."
As a player, Prange established herself as one of the top hitters in the SEC after transferring to Alabama from Ohio State. During her two seasons with the Crimson Tide, she earned First Team All-SEC honors twice and was selected to the NFCA All-Region Team in 2023. She helped lead Alabama to the 2023 Women's College World Series, pacing the team in batting average (.320), home runs (16), runs scored (46), and walks (38).
In her first season at Alabama in 2022, Prange led the Crimson Tide in home runs, runs scored and walks while ranking among the team's leaders in batting average, hits and RBI. Before arriving in Tuscaloosa, she started 103 games over three seasons at Ohio State and earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team recognition in 2019.
A native of New Palestine, Ind. Prange was one of the most decorated prep players in the nation. She was named the 2018 Indiana Gatorade Softball Player of the Year and Indiana Miss Softball before beginning her collegiate career with the Buckeyes.
Beyond the collegiate game, Prange has competed professionally with the Florida Vibe and Florida Breeze. She also served as head coach in the Florida Gulf Coast Collegiate League, earning 2025 FGCL Coach of the Year honors while mentoring collegiate student-athletes and assisting players through the transfer portal process.
Prange earned a bachelor's degree in Human Environmental Sciences from the University of Alabama in 2022 and completed a master's degree in Hospitality Management with a concentration in Sport Hospitality in 2023. She also previously served as a strength and conditioning intern with Alabama Athletics.
