Former UW-Whitewater standout outfielder Ben Prather enters his fourth season as the Warhawks’ hitting coach following spending one season playing professionally in Europe.
Prather returned to Whitewater after leading team "Vindija" to the Croatian National Championship in 2009. Prather starred for the Warhawks from 2005-2008, captaining the team that finished 3rd at the NCAA Division III World Series in 2008.
While at Whitewater, Prather was the recipient of the WIAC Max Sparger Scholar Athlete Award, as well as being named First Team All-WIAC in 2006 and 2008.
In 2006, Prather set a school record by hitting safely in 25 consecutive games along with finishing the season among the team leaders in batting average (.380), doubles (11), home runs (6) and leading the team in hits (65).
In 2008, Prather led the Warhawks in batting average (.402), hits (80) and finished second in doubles (14). His 80 hits in 2008 are the second most in a single season by a Whitewater player.
At the conclusion of his stellar collegiate playing career, Prather found himself amongst the best in school history in numerous offensive categories.
Prather finished with 197 career hits, good for 5th all-time. His 551 career at-bats are good for 5th all-time and his 142 runs scored place him 7th in program history.
Whitewater has finished with a team batting average over .300 in both of Prather’s seasons as hitting coach.
Taking over as hitting coach in 2010, Prather helped the Warhawks improve their team batting average from .280 in 2009 to .351 in 2010.
(updated September 19, 2012)
