Classroom:Prager is one of the top female student-athletes at Illinois State, as evidenced by her 3.64 cumulative grade-point average in business administration. Prager, who will graduate in May 2008, was an ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District V First-Team selection in both 2006 and 2007, and was named to the 2007 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team. A two-time recipient of the State Farm Student-Athlete Academic Excellence Good Neighbor Award (2006 and 2007), Prager earned Prairie Farms Missouri Valley Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week for the week of March 28, 2007, and was named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athlete in 2005 and 2006. Prager has used her strong academic skills to assist others in the classroom, as she was an undergraduate teacher’s assistant in the Illinois State University Psychology Department, under the direction of Dr. Jim Johnson. A member of the AFNI Athletics Honor Roll every semester that she has been enrolled at Illinois State (fall 2004-fall 2008), Prager intends to pursue a career as a chief executive officer (CEO) of a company that has a positive impact on society. Prior to that, the Bloomington, Ill. (Olympia High School), native wants to work for Nike as an apparel designer.
Character:Prager is one of the most respected athletes on the Illinois State campus. Serving as the Redbird softball team’s captain this season, a position she also held as a junior in 2007, Prager is a demonstrative leader, both on-and-off the field. She goes out of her way to demonstrate to her teammates the proper way to do things by correcting her own flaws first before she critiques those of others. With everything that Prager does, both in softball and in life, she gives her all and is very passionate about what she does in life. She is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), where she has participated in community, campus and athletic endeavors for the betterment of all Illinois State student athletes.
“I had the goal of graduating in four years when I started at Illinois State as a freshman in the fall of 2004,” Prager said. “In 2007, I took eight hours over a six-week period in the summer in order to stay on track with my degree and graduate this May. I hold myself to a higher standard because that was how I was raised. Getting my degree is something that is going to take me where I want to go in the future.”
Competition:In 2007, Prager led Illinois State and the Missouri Valley Conference in doubles with 16, and was seventh in the nation in sacrifice hits per game (0.42) after she led Illinois State with 24 on the season. A career .293 hitter entering the 2008 season, Prager saw her offensive numbers greatly increase last season, as she batted .304 with 59 hits and 36 runs scored that complimented 24 RBI and a .418 slugging percentage. One of the best infielders in Illinois State softball history, Prager ranks No. 17 all-time in career fielding percentage with a .980 mark entering this season. A 2007 preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, Prager has complimented her Redbird softball achievements with selections to both the 2006 All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team and the 2006 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Softball Team.
Now in her second season as a team captain, Prager has quickly established herself as one of the team’s top hitters. In the Redbirds’ season-opening game against Central Arkansas (Feb. 8) at the Central Florida Tournament in Orlando, Prager tied her career-high for doubles in a game with two as she drove in two runs in a 7-2 victory over the Bears. Prager’s weekend concluded with an 8-for-16 (.500) effort at the plate, which included a team-best three doubles, three RBI and three runs scored. Prager’s competitive edge extends to the defensive side of the game, as she has started the season with zero errors through five games, extending her errorless-games played streak to 19, dating back to last season.