UCF Adds Trena Prater As An Assistant Coach
UCF Head Coach Renee Luers-Gillispie announced on Monday the hiring of Trena Prater to the Knights coaching staff as an assistant coach.
“I want to thank Danny White and Coach Gillispie for giving me this opportunity,” Prater said in UCF Press Release on Monday. “I am looking forward to getting started at UCF and am very optimistic about the future and success of Knights Softball. The sky is the limit for this program and the Women’s College World Series is our ultimate goal.”
Prater comes over from Buffalo where she was the Head Coach the last four seasons (2014-2017) and was the Head Coach at Hampton the previous three seasons before that (2011-2013) taking Hampton to the NCAA Tournament in 2013.
Prater, formerly Trena Peel, was a standout player at LSU from 1999-2002, Hitting .323 during her four years in Baton Rouge and finished among LSU’s Top 10 in hits (269), runs scored (173), RBIs (144), stolen bases (79), walks (72), doubles (45), on-base percentage (.404) and slugging percentage (.525). Her 27 triples are a program record and top 20 in NCAA history. Prater won the 2002 SEC Player of the Year and a semifinalist for the 2002 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award as well as being part of the Tigers first team to make it to the Women’s College World Series in 2001.
“Trena only knows left turns and one speed, fast and aggressive.” said NFCA Hall of Famer Head Coach Yvette Girouard who spoke with me on Monday night about her former player at LSU.
Girouard is one of the most successful coaches of all-time currently ranked 7th all-time in Division I softball with 1,285 wins in 31 seasons with the last 11 seasons with the Tigers. Girouard was Prater’s Head Coach at LSU ( 01-02) and was a big influence in Prater going into coaching.
Girouard told me that Prater “Was a joy to coach and a tremendous athlete. She will bring those qualities to UCF.”
Prater had a successful playing career in National Pro FastPitch League playing from 2004-2010 earning NPF All-Star honors in 2004 & 2005. Prater represented the NPF in 2009 MLB All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
While playing in NPF, Prater began her coaching career as an assistant starting at George Washington (2003-04), then to Maryland (2006-08), and Mississippi Valley State (2009-2010).
Prater joins Gillispie’s decorated coaching staff that includes Tiffany Jordan who has been assistant at UCF since fall of 2014 and been part of two NCAA Tournament appearances (2015-16) in the three seasons which included the American Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championship in 2015 which earned the Knights coaching staff the American Conference Coaching Staff of the Year and NFCA Regional coaching staff of the year. This summer Jordan was part of Canada’s Junior Canadian National team coaching staff that participated in the Canada Cup and in the Junior World Championships in Clearwater, Florida last week where Canada finished in 4th place.
