Hits Close To Home: Karen Prihoda ’15 Returns to Lawrenceville as Head Softball Coach

By Melina Kyriakopoulos ‘27/Big Red Sports Network Reporter

From leading the Lawrenceville softball team to the 2015 Prep A State Championship finals as team captain to dominating the field with stolen bases with Wagner College, star player Karen Prihoda ’15 has reunited this year with her beloved high school team as Big Red softball’s new Head Coach. As she builds connections with her new team, and returns to the swing of Lawrenceville life, Prihoda comments on how her experiences as a player at Lawrenceville, and the lessons she learned, reflect in her coaching pedagogy.               

During her time at Lawrenceville, Prihoda made softball history as the first player in school history to reach 100 hits, as well as the first to pitch a perfect game. Moreover, Prihoda was a four-time All Mid-Atlantic Prep League selection, a four-time All-New Jersey Prep selection, and earned the Coaches Award twice. In her off-season Prihoda excelled on Lawrenceville’s Track and Field team, with an All-Prep recognition in sprint events.

Prihoda’s skill and resilience continued to differentiate her as a key player for Wagner College, earning her multiple all-North Eastern Conference selections, two National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region honoree accolades, and the title of 2018 New England College batting champion. Moreover, Prihoda led her team in runs and hits, and set the then runner-up record for stolen bases in Wagner’s softball history. After graduation, Prihoda stayed involved with sports, coaching field hockey, track, and volleyball teams before returning to Lawrenceville softball.

The softball program was small when Prihoda arrived for her Second Form year at Lawrenceville. However, Prihoda described how Big Red softball “grew [her] senior year” to become both “a little family” that “you can’t find anywhere else,” as well as a skilled team that reached the New Jersey State Championship finals in 2015.  

Prihoda hopes to foster this same sense of community between the girls both on and off the pitch, elaborating that she looks to teach her athletes “where [they] fit in,” their role, and how they “can best help the people [they’re] working with.” However, as a player who experimented with pitching, and defending the infield at both second base and shortstop, she also pushes players to “explore” their position on the team individually.

Player Gerise Kelly ’27 remarked that Prihoda is eager to connect the team, and is “doing a lot more team bonding,” ranging from disposable camera scavenger hunts to assigning “Secret Sisters” who write letters to each before every home game. Kelly praises Prihoda for building team spirit between the girls.

As head coach, Prihoda trains her players in essential softball skills, develops their mental fortitude, and builds a productive yet interconnected space for growth. She explained that improvement comes down to “being gritty…down to the end.” Prihoda commended her players for their willingness to work quickly, and credits recent wins to swift decision-making during high-pressure moments. “Against Blair, we were down 1-5,” Prihoda recalled, “but just teaching that fight and grit, we ended up winning 6-5 with a walk from Sienna Kulynych ’26.” Prihoda also applauded the team for encouraging each other in the dugout after hard plays. “We’ve seen it throughout our lineup, one through nine, and even on the bench, everyone supports each other,” she said.

Team Co-Captain Bella Devine ’26 credits Prihoda’s prior involvement in Big Red’s program with the seamless changeover from former head coach John Schiel. “Because she knew his coaching methods,” Devine noted, “it allowed our team to have a smoother transition.” Moreover, catcher Phoebe Rayner ’27 explained that Prihoda “has the energy,” “understands the way the program has been run,” and “is exactly what our team needed.”

Describing her first few weeks on campus, Prihoda explained that, at Lawrenceville, you may “leave for 11 years, but you come [back], and it's like you never skip a beat.” Prihoda hopes to continue to grow Big Red Softball, and facilitate a team environment where each player—be she a batting superstar or junior varsity underdog—feels at home.

For more information, contact Lisa M. Gillard H'17, director of public relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.