17-year-old softball star killed in wreck, Indiana sheriff says. ‘So full of spunk’
A high school softball star died after losing control of her car and striking a guardrail, Indiana officials say.
Ashton Pryor was driving a 2008 Jeep Wrangler on Friday, Feb. 17, just before 7 a.m. when she lost control and hit a guardrail which caused her car to roll over, the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. The 17-year-old was pronounced dead the scene.
Peyton Pryor — Ashton’s 15-year-old younger sister — was a passenger in the Jeep, a friend shared on Facebook.
Peyton was taken to Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Evansville with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff. Drugs or alcohol are not believed to be a factor in the crash.
“Pryor was a standout on the softball team,” the Courier & Press reported. She played third base on Boonville High School’s Class 3A state championship team in 2021 and became a pitcher last spring.
Pryor, a junior, was committed to play softball at Indiana State University, according to her Instagram.
Neither Boonville High School nor Indiana State University’s athletics department immediately responded to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
Friends, family and community members shared tributes for Pryor on social media.
“We are heartbroken today. Words can’t describe the sadness and devastation our softball family is feeling right now,” one Facebook post said. “Ashton was so FULL of spunk and life!”
“There are no words to describe this loss, but they’re limitless when it comes to your impact,” Fusion, a travel softball program, posted on Facebook. “You’re the person any organization would love to have a part of their family because of how you carried yourself and who you were to those around you. Our teammate. Our sister. Our family.”
“Our #12 will never be forgotten,” the Boonville High School softball team tweeted.
Boonville is about 100 miles west of Louisville, Kentucky.
This story was originally published February 17, 2023 at 5:35 PM with the headline "17-year-old softball star killed in wreck, Indiana sheriff says. ‘So full of spunk’."
