Email coach
Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro
University of Memphis Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Laird Veatch announced the hiring of Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro as head softball coach on August 18, 2022.
Prothro comes to Memphis after spending the last 12 seasons as the pitching coach at Alabama. In Tuscaloosa, Prothro helped the Crimson Tide win the 2012 NCAA Championship, three regular-season SEC titles and two SEC Tournament crowns.
“We are extremely excited to announce Coach Prothro as the next leader of our softball program,” Veatch said. “Not only have we found someone who clearly knows what winning looks like, but Stephanie also has a proven expertise in the critical area of pitching. She has demonstrated a sincere care for her players and knows the type of quality culture she wants to establish here at Memphis. Stephanie has previous experience as a head coach and we are grateful to have her lead again.”
In her 11 seasons, Prothro and Alabama made 10 NCAA Regional appearances, nine NCAA Super Regionals and six Women’s College World Series appearances.
“First, I want to thank University of Alabama president Dr. Stuart Bell, athletics director Greg Byrne and head coach Patrick Murphy for everything during my 11 years as an assistant coach with the Crimson Tide,” Prothro remarked. “Coach Murphy gave me an opportunity to grow and develop into the coach I am today, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity to coach at my alma mater.
“I would also like to thank University of Memphis president Dr. Bill Hardgrave, Laird Veatch, and Executive Associate Athletic Director/Senior Women’s Administrator Lauren Ashman for the opportunity to lead the Memphis softball program. In discussing our vision for the future of the athletic department and the softball program throughout the interview process, there is a clear passion and enthusiasm that we all share and I can’t wait to get to work building towards that vision.
“I am excited to set a standard of excellence that will build a culture of champions on and off the field. It is a great day to be a Memphis Tiger!”
In her first season guiding the Alabama pitching staff in 2012, she helped the Crimson Tide win its first national championship. Behind the right arm of Jaclyn Traina, the 2012 team rolled through the postseason, winning the Southeastern Conference regular-season title for the third-straight year and then claiming the SEC Tournament title before advancing through the NCAA Regional and Super Regional rounds and finally capturing the coveted national championship.
Prothro was instrumental in the development of Traina. In her first season as the ace of the staff, Traina was named an NFCA first team All-American and the SEC Pitcher of the Year. Traina led the nation with a school-record 42 wins and struck out 361 batters, another Tide all-time best. The following season in 2013, Traina again earned NFCA and Easton All-America honors. As a senior in 2014, Traina was again named a First Team All-American and took home SEC Pitcher of the Year honors, helping lead the Tide to a runner-up finish at the Women’s College World Series.
“We are thrilled to welcome Stephanie to the Tiger family as the new leader of our softball program,” Ashman said. “She is a proven winner who has excelled in the collegiate softball world since her time as a student-athlete at the University of Alabama. Stephanie is a tremendous leader who places a high value on athletic, academic and personal growth for her student-athletes. I can’t wait for her to get started.”
In 2015, Prothro oversaw a pitching staff that included SEC Freshman of the Year Alexis Osorio, a First Team All-American and top-three finalists for the NFCA Freshman of the Year award. Sophomore Sydney Littlejohn also threw a pair of perfect games that season, becoming the first Tide pitcher to throw a perfect game since Prothro did so as a player for Alabama in 2006. Littlejohn was tabbed a Second Team All-American in 2016 and earned national accolades following two wins on the road against then-top ranked Florida during the regular season.
On opening weekend of the 2017 season, Osorio threw the program’s fourth perfect game in a win over Coastal Carolina, fanning a school-record 19 batters, which surpassed Prothro’s own record that had stood for over a decade. That win marked the start of what would be another All-American season for Osorio in which she earned 23 wins with a 1.21 ERA and 334 strikeouts, including four games with 18 or more strikeouts. In the NCAA Tournament, Osorio allowed just two runs over 23.2 innings pitched with 29 strikeouts against top-ranked Minnesota and top-seeded Florida.
In 2019, Alabama’s pitching staff earned a pair of postseason honors from the Southeastern Conference, with Sarah Cornell as its Pitcher of the Year and Montana Fouts the Freshman of the Year. Fouts would also go on to earn NFCA All-America honors and was a top-three finalist for its national Freshman of the Year award.
In 2021, Fouts led the NCAA with 349 strikeouts, earning NFCA Pitcher of the Year and SEC Pitcher of the Year honors. At the Women's College World Series, she threw a perfect game against defending national champion UCLA, the fifth in WCWS history and first since 2000.
In 2022, Fouts was named a Second-Team All-American by the NFCA and earned All-Region and First-Team All-SEC accolades. With her 39 strikeouts over 20.2 innings, Fouts is the all-time record holder for strikeouts in the SEC Tournament.
Prothro was named Alabama’s pitching coach on July 5, 2011, returning to Tuscaloosa after spending one season as the head coach at Samford. Prior to serving as Samford’s head coach, she spent the previous two years as the head coach at Birmingham Southern College. She posted a record of 57-14 in her two seasons with the Panthers, for an impressive .803 winning percentage.
In her first season as a head coach in 2009, Prothro led the Panthers to a 32-5 record. The team broke 13 program records, including the mark for wins in a season. Her first team posted a .364 team batting average and 1.19 ERA. Prothro’s 2010 team then finished with a record of 25-9 overall and 12-4 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Prior to becoming head coach at Birmingham-Southern, Prothro spent the 2008 season as an assistant coach on the BSC staff. That season, the Panthers earned a 32-28 record for the first 30-win season in program history. She also helped coach four All-Big South Conference players and two CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees.
Prothro played professionally in National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the Philadelphia Force prior to being hired at Birmingham-Southern. She also served as a 2007 student assistant coach at her alma mater, with the Tide going 55-10 during that season.
During her stellar career at Alabama from 2003-06, Prothro helped the Crimson Tide win its first Southeastern Conference regular season title in 2006 plus SEC Tournament championships in 2003 and 2005. She earned SEC Tournament MVP honors in 2005 and was named SEC Pitcher of the Year in 2006.
Prothro helped her team make NCAA Regional all four years and Super Regionals twice after they were instituted in 2005, as well as three NCAA College World Series appearances (2003, 2005, 2006).
A native of Chambersburg, Pa., Prothro was named an NFCA second team All-American in 2005 and 2006. She was also SEC Pitcher of the Year and was one of 10 finalists for the Collegiate Player of the Year as a senior in 2006. She also was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll four of her years at Alabama.
Prothro’s other playing honors included 2003 Region VIII Tournament MVP, NFCA All-South Region in 2003, 2005 and 2006. She also earned all-conference honors each of her four years at Alabama and was named the 2003 SEC Freshman of the Year.
Prothro earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Alabama in 2007 and her Master of Arts from Alabama in 2020. She and her husband, Quintin Prothro, have a son, Julian, and a step-daughter, Skylar.
show more