Staff Directory

Trena Prater

Title:
Head Coach
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Trena Prater has been named head softball coach at the University of Memphis, Senior Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Ed Scott announced on August 7, 2024.

“Coach Prater is a proven winner and an exceptional leader of student-athletes on and off the field,” Scott said. “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 winning softball to Tiger Nation.”

Where the first season saw the Tigers improve in many speed-based statistics, year two of the Prater era was highlighted by an increase in power. At the plate, Memphis' overall hitting numbers took a massive jump from 2025, with a batting average jump from .266 to .283, 37 more hits than the prior season and 23 more extra-base hits than the first season of the Prater era. Memphis' slash line jumped from .266/.344/.387 to .283/.370/.445 from 2025 to 2026. Memphis' .445 slugging percentage was the highest in single-season program history, and the .370 on-base percentage was the second-highest. The Tigers offense reached top 10 single-season marks in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, hits, runs, RBI, doubles, triples, home runs, walks, stolen bases, sacrifice hits and sacrifice flies.

Prater's second season at Memphis also produced multiple award winners in Mya Clark and Faith Brown. Clark, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Iowa, was unanimously named to the American Conference First Team as a two-way player, while Brown's power numbers shined en route to being named the American Conference Second Team designated player. Clark was the first Tiger to be named to the first team since 2021 and Brown became the sixth Tiger to be named to the second team. It was also the first time since 2019 that Memphis had multiple all-conference honorees in the same season.

In her first season at the helm in 2025, the Tigers saw a vast improvement, securing 19 wins, the most in a single season for Memphis since 2019. Memphis' five conference wins were also the most since the 2018 season. Under Prater, Memphis also recorded its third American Athletic Conference Tournament victory with a 6-5 win over seventh-seeded UAB, which was also the first tournament win since 2018.

Memphis also set top-10 marks in 14 different single-season statistics during Prater's first season as the head coach, highlighted by the second-most runs scored (257) in a season by a Memphis team, along with top-five marks in stolen bases (68), doubles (67), triples (11), RBI (208) and sacrifice flies (18). The Memphis pitching staff also saw its team ERA drop by 1.27 in the first season of the Prater era.

Prater, the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association Coach of the Year, came to Memphis after leading Campbell University to a 79-39-1 record over the past two seasons.

Campbell was 37-21-1 overall and 22-5 during its inaugural season in the CAA in 2024, winning the regular-season conference championship. The 22 conference wins set a CAA record as the team led the league with a .330 batting average, 1.58 earned run average and .975 fielding percentage. In addition to Prater being named the league’s Coach of the Year, the Fighting Camels’ Isabella Smith was named Pitcher of the Year, Alyssa Henault was named Player of the Year and Lindsay Lumsden was named Rookie of the Year.

In 2023, Campbell went 42-18 and 15-5 in the Big South Conference, finishing in a tie at the top of the regular-season conference standings. Prater led the program to its third-ever NCAA Regional win with a 7-1 victory over George Mason in the 2023 Durham Regional. Nine Campbell players earned all-conference honors with Smith named Big South Pitcher of the Year and Madilyn Gillespie earning Freshman of the Year.

Prater brings nine seasons of Division I head coach experience from her time at Campbell, Buffalo (2014-17) and Hampton (2011-13). As an assistant, Prater served on staff at Iowa (2019-22), UCF (2018), Mississippi Valley State (2008-10), Maryland (2006-08) and George Washington (2003-04). She was named associate head coach at Iowa for the 2022 season.

Prater was a standout player at LSU from 1999-2002, earning 2002 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors while being named a semifinalist for the 2002 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. A three-time All-SEC selection during her career, she was also named an Easton First-Team All-American and NFCA Second-Team All-American in 2002.

She holds the LSU records for career triples (27) and single-season triples (14 in 2002) and is tied for the most career games started (273). The Tigers were 230-45 during her four seasons with the program. They finished third at the Women’s College World Series in 2001.
Prater played professionally for the Akron Racers (2004, 2008-09), New York Juggernauts (2005), Chicago Bandits (2006) and Philadelphia Force (2007) in National Pro Fastpitch.