Alabama Softball Lands Transfer From Ohio State
The Alabama Crimson Tide softball team just completed a special season that saw the Tide finish as SEC Tournament champions and No. 3 in the nation in the final rankings. Alabama is losing several key members from Team 25 but Patrick Murphy's Alabama squad picked up senior infielder Ashley Prange by way of the transfer portal from Ohio State.
Prange, from New Palestine, IND, started 43 games for the Ohio State Buckeyes this past season. She helped Ohio State to a 24-19 record, good enough for sixth in the Big 10 in 2021.
She batted .246 this past season with a .305 on-base percentage on 34 hits and 11 walks. Prange hit four home runs and tallied 20 total RBI and stole two bases offensively. On defense she recorded 80 assists with 41 put-outs while only committing nine errors, good enough for a .931 fielding percentage.
Prange was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten and the Big Ten All-Freshman team team in 2019. As a senior in high school she was named Indiana Gatorade Softball Player of the Year and Indiana Miss Softball setting a state record with 71 RBI. As a junior she She helped her high school win back-to-back state championships in 2017 and 2018.
The infielder will help an Alabama team that took its bumps and bruises in the middle of the defense in 2021. The Crimson Tide lost Bailey Dowling and Claire Jenkins to knee injuries, forcing Murphy to play Taylor Clark and Savannah Woodard in their stead. Jenkins and Clark depart to graduation creating an opportunity for Prange to contribute to the middle infield on Team 26.