DAYTON, Ohio – University of Dayton head softball coach Cara LaPlaca announced on Monday the promotion of assistant coach Tiffany Prager and the addition of Kara Willis for her staff for the upcoming season.

In addition, head coach Cara LaPlaca has signed a five-year contract extension to remain at the University of Dayton through the 2020 season.

Prager, who served the Flyers as the hitting and first base coach in 2015, will be assuming the role of top assistant coach on the 2016 staff. 

"We are thrilled to have Tiffany return this season in an enhanced role on our staff," Coach LaPlaca remarked. "She has proven herself to be an invaluable member of our program and her ongoing contributions will be critical to our team's success."

Prager will be in charge of directing all phases of the Flyer offense while also serving as the program's recruiting coordinator for the upcoming year.

"I'm grateful to Coach LaPlaca, the administration and Flyer supporters for the opportunity to become the lead softball assistant," Prager said. "I look forward to continuing to work diligently to further advance our program at the national level." She also added, "The University of Dayton is a special place and it is truly a privilege to contribute to the success of our student-athletes on the field, in the classroom and in the community!"

Joining the staff as pitching coach this season is Kara Willis. Willis' primary responsibility will be to offer her tutelage to a Dayton pitching staff that set seven school records in the 2015 season.

LaPlaca says of Willis, "We are excited to welcome Kara to our Flyer Softball Staff.  She has trained at one of the top pitching facilities in the country and has experience competing in postseason play." She added, "Her familiarity with the Atlantic 10 Conference and Northeast region will be a clear asset as we seek to defend our A-10 Regular Season Championship."

Willis' most recent coaching stint was a year at the University of Hartford of the America East Conference. With the Hawks' program she was responsible for the pitching staff while also assisting in organizing camps, fundraising events, and community service projects. 

Her coaching career also included a stop at fellow Atlantic-10 member Rhode Island. One of her most noteworthy accomplishments while with the Rams was helping coach the first URI A-10 Pitcher of the Week in over a decade. 

She also had a two-year tenure at her alma mater, UMass-Boston, where she helped the Beacons to a third-straight Little East Conference tournament and the conference's fourth-best earned run average. 

Willis was mentored by Denise Davis at the prestigious Planet Fastpitch pitcher development program. She also served as the lead softball instructor and strength and conditioning coach at Extra Innings in Watertown, Massachusetts, where she offered lessons in pitching, fielding and hitting while organizing conditioning regiments for the program. 

As an active member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), she holds two elected positions, serving on the Ethics Committee and the Education and Resources Committee.

"I am honored and enthusiastic about my opportunity to join the Flyer family," Willis said. "Coach Laplaca and Coach Prager have led an excellent program, and I am excited to contribute to the program's continued success, as well as to lead an already successful pitching staff." She also added, "I want to extend my gratitude to the coaching staff and athletic administration for this opportunity."

While a student-athlete at UMass-Boston, Willis set the all-time record for stikeouts (223) in a career while also setting the Beacons' top marks in career appearances (70), most complete games (52), and most innings pitched in a season (163) and career (389).

Willis graduated from UMB with her bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice in 2012 and is working toward her master of science in Recreation and Sports Science from Ohio University.

Dayton was a program-best 39-14 in the 2015 season, bringing home the Atlantic 10 regular season championship and also advancing to the A-10 championship game for the first time in program history. The Flyers broke eight team and four individual records while also sweeping the A-10 major awards (Player of the Year Tiffani Ricks, Pitcher of the Year Kayla English, Rookie of the Year Manda Cash, and Coach of the Year Cara LaPlaca).