Standout Boonville High School softball player killed in morning car wreck

Kyle Sokeland and Jon Webb, Evansville Courier & Press
·2 min read

BOONVILLE, Ind. – Ashton Pryor, a standout softball player for Boonville High School who played a key role in their 2021 Class 3A state championship and was poised to be a star for years to come, died in a car wreck Friday morning.

She was 17 years old.

According to a news release from the Warrick County Sheriff’s office, the crash occurred around 7 a.m. on Ashby Road, near Gentry Road, in northern Warrick County.

Boonville Pioneers freshman infielder Ashton Pryor fields a grounder during practice before the IHSAA Class 3A semi state game against the Danville Warriors June 5, 2021, at Eagle Park in Brown County, Indiana. The 17-year-old softball standout was killed in a car accident on her way to school Friday morning, Feb. 17, 2023. Jacob Musselman / Special to the Courier & Press

Pryor was driving a 2008 Jeep Wrangler when she lost control. The car stuck a guardrail and rolled over, the news release states.

Pryor was pronounced dead at the scene. Her 15-year-old sister, Peyton Pryor, a passenger in the car, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Ascension St. Vincent.

Police haven’t released a cause for the crash, but drugs or alcohol aren’t believed to be a factor.

Pryor was a standout on the softball team. She was the starting third baseman as a freshman on the Class 3A state championship in 2021 and recorded one of the Pioneers' two hits in the title game. Pryor moved to pitcher last spring and earned honorable mention All-PAC honors the past two years.

She committed to Indiana State in November. Her older sister, Randi Jo, is a sophomore infielder for the Sycamores.

"Many of you may know, early Friday morning there was a terrible tragedy and two BHS students were in a car accident on the way to school," Boonville High School administration said in a statement. "One of those students, Ashton Pryor, lost her life. Peyton Pryor was taken to the hospital for treatment and has been released. As a freshman, Ashton played on the 2021 state championship team where she hit for power and patrolled the hot corner like a seasoned veteran. Her zest for life and passion for softball will always be remembered."

There will be a prayer vigil at the Boonville softball field on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. The boys' basketball game scheduled for Saturday at South Spencer has been canceled and ruled a no contest. It will not be made up.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Softball standout Ashton Pryor of Boonville, Indiana, killed in wreck