Valley Softball: Prater Pilots Her Choice
AKRON – One of the vocal leaders of the Tippecanoe Valley softball program has made her college decision known. Katie Prater, catcher for Vikings softball, made her choice final on Wednesday after signing with Bethel College to continue her softball career.
Prater was one of just four Vikings to appear in all 23 games in 2016, serving as the team’s primary catcher for the club that went 7-16 overall. Defensively, Prater made strides behind the plate, dropping her error total from 14 as a sophomore to just five as a junior and gunned down five baserunners. She totaled a .949 fielding percentage in 98 total chances.
At the plate, Prater batted .250 with 18 hits and nine RBIs for coach Daryl Shoemaker’s squad. As a sophomore, Prater batted .262 with 21 hits and 12 RBIs. Prater had three doubles and a triple among her junior year batting totals.
Prater returns for her third varsity year with a roster that should have five returning seniors and a host of underclassman talent.
“My biggest strides as a junior was my defense,” Prater said Wednesday afternoon at her signing. “Knowing the situations and knowing what to do. I really need to make strides on offense. I hit the ball well, but I need to get more hits and get the ball in play. I had back surgery before last year, and that limited me. I feel much better now and that’s helped me working in the offseason. I’m really ready to go for my senior season.”
Bethel College struggled through the 2015-16 season, finishing 2-42 overall under fourth-year head coach Megan Hastings. The Pilots welcomed in Scott Reese this season as its new head coach, Reese most recently coaching last season at Ancilla College. The Pilots have locals Danica Mast (Fairfield), Gabby Warner (Elkhart Memorial), Katie Rhoade (NorthWood) and McKenzie Byler (Goshen) on the current roster. Current Warsaw Community High School senior Abby Glass is also committed to Bethel.
“I had a couple offers from other schools, but with Bethel, I stepped onto campus and just felt right,” Prater said. “Coach Reese is amazing. And Bethel being a Christian school, being able to live in my faith and play softball, that’s just an awesome feeling and I couldn’t pass up on that.”
Prater plans to major in pre-med at Bethel and carries an A average at TVHS.
“Behind the plate was a concern for us,” Reese said, who has just one catcher, sophomore Hunter Brummett, on the active roster. “I was really glad Katie made the choice to join us. She is going to be a force to reckon with as she continues to grow. She hasn’t hit her ceiling. We are going to get a good, young catcher out of this. I saw her play in a doubleheader and she hit the ball really well, and she threw out a couple baserunners and no one wanted to run on her. Those strengths are areas we need, and honestly, her total package is perfect for what we need behind the plate and on our roster.”