Berg Adds Beaver Alum to Coaching Staff
September 18, 2019 | Softball
Shelly Prochaska (2000-03) joins 2019-20 staff as volunteer assistant.
CORVALLIS – Entering her eighth year as head coach, Laura Berg announced the addition of former OSU catcher, Shelly Prochaska to her staff as a volunteer assistant for the upcoming 2019-20 season.
"I'm excited to have Shelly on board," said Berg. "It's always great when you can bring alumni back. She's has a wealth of knowledge and experience that she'll bring to this team. I know she'll do a great job with the catchers."
Prochaska returns to Oregon State after previously having stints with multiple Division I softball programs including, but not limited to: Cal State Bakersfield, University of North Dakota and Boise State.
"I am so excited to be back at OSU," said Prochaska. "Ever since becoming a coach my goal was to come back to Corvallis and be a part of this coaching staff. I had such a wonderful experience as a Beaver student-athlete that I wanted to give back as coach."
Most recently, Prochaska was an assistant coach for the Sonoma State softball program during the 2018-19 season. Prior to this, she spent three seasons as the assistant coach for the CSU Bakersfield program and was primarily responsible for the CSUB pitchers and catchers, while also working with the hitters. The Roadrunners saw a pair of student-athletes earn All-Conference honors in each of the two seasons under her tutelage while also advancing to Regionals for the first time in the CSUB's Division I history in 2016.
Before her time spent at CSU Bakersfield Prochaska spent the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach at the University of North Dakota. Prior to her year in Grand Forks, N.D., Prochaska was the assistant coach at Boise State from 2010-14. While with the Broncos, Prochaska guided the pitching staff to set records for ERA (3.12), opponent batting average (.250), and fewest walks per seven innings (1.94) in 2012. Her 2011 rotation threw a BSU-best nine shutouts and recorded a program-high 6.21 strikeouts per seven innings. She also coached four Broncos pitchers to seasons in which they earned All-Conference and one was named Second Team All-Pacific Region.
Prochaska spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons with the Idaho State softball team where she began as an assistant coach and eventually finished out the latter year as the interim head coach. ISU posted a 34-60 record during Prochaska's tenure, including a 10-24 mark while she was interim head coach. In her first season, the Bengals reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since 1982.
Prior to her move to Idaho, Prochaska also worked at Kenyon College (Gambier, Ohio) as an assistant coach in softball and volleyball from 2006 to 2008. She was named interim head volleyball coach at Kenyon in November 2007. Prochaska's softball teams at Kenyon combined for a 32-34 record, including 14-14 in the North Central Athletic Conference.
Prochaska began her coaching career as an undergraduate assistant Oregon State in 2004. Her stint as a coach at OSU came on the heels of one of the most accomplished playing careers in OSU history. Playing in 260 games and making 254 starts from 2000-03, the majority coming at catcher, Prochaska saw action in more games than any Beaver in school history. She left the program with her name in the top five of eight different career batting categories, and became the first OSU softball player to record 200 hits, 100 RBIs and 100 runs scored in her career. Prochaska's performances earned her All-Pac-10 and Easton All-American honors as a senior while she was also named All-Region in 2001. To this day, Prochaska is still in the top-10 for: single season (209) and career (746) at bats, single-season (48) and career (121) RBI, career singles (159), career doubles (35), career hits (210) and career base on balls (87).
After her collegiate career, Prochaska earned an invitation to and attended the USA National Team Tryouts in 2003 in Chula Vista, Calif. Prochaska continued her playing career as a member of the Portland All-Star Team in 2004. In the summer of 2007, Prochaska joined the New England Riptide of the National Professional Fastpitch League.
"Being able to work with Coach Berg, Green, & Leyba is such a privilege," continued Prochaska. "They are very well respected as coaches and people, I know that I will learn a lot from them. What Coach Berg is building here is very special and I looking forward to the upcoming season!"
A native of Aloha, Ore., Prochaska graduated from Oregon State in 2004 with a degree in health promotion and education.
For more information on the Oregon State softball team, visit OSUBeavers.com or follow the team @BeaverSoftball on Twitter and Instagram.OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
