Kuhn adds Byerleys to coaching staff
PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast softball coach David Kuhn has hired a pair of assistant coaches, and their credentials are eyepopping, indeed.
Jack Byerley and April Byerley have joined the Bulldogs' staff. Jack brings nearly 1,000 wins as a head coach, and his wife April has been a successful pitching coach after her SEC playing career ended.
"They fit all the pieces of the puzzle we need here as far as working with hitters and pitching and defense," Kuhn said. "It's a great fit, and they love this area. They both have experience in junior college, too. Hopefully they'll help us continue our great tradition."
Jack Byerley
Jack has a winning percentage of .773 as a head coach, and he's already won 260 games as an assistant. His teams have won 10 conference or state championships.
"I came because it's such a great atmosphere with great facilities," he said. "It's always been a winning program. I knew what we had here. I know David. He's a great coach, a great man, a great Christian gentleman. That's what you want, and being back down on the Gulf Coast is a great place to be."
Byerley was head coach at Northwest Florida State College from 2009-2018. The Raiders went 380-158, were Panhandle Conference champs three times and runners-up twice. More than 90 percent of his players moved on to four-year schools, and he coached 57 NJCAA All-Academic players.
He was also head coach at Francis Marion University from 2003-2004, where his teams went 73-26. Both those teams batted .328.
From 1997-2000, Byerley was head coach at Central Alabama Community College. He started the fast-pitch program there, compiling a 205-47 record while winning four straight conference titles. He was Coach of the Year three times, and his teams made three trips to the national tournament.
His first head coaching job was at Robertsdale High School in Alabama. His slow-pitch teams went 211-46 in five years, and he fought to bring fast-pitch to the state. When it did, his two teams went 107-9 and won back-to-back state championships.
Byerley also spent time as an assistant at two SEC schools. At Florida, he helped the Gators reach the 2001 NCAA Tournament, while his Auburn teams made three regional appearances and went 150-92.
He was an assistant at Spring Hill College in Mobile in 2019, where the team won the SIAC championship and made the NCAA regional for the first time. In 2000 and 2001, he was an assistant at Southeastern Louisiana University. The Lions went 29-18 in those years, including the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and beat an SEC team each season.
"Jack's got a lot of experience," Kuhn said. "I've known him a long time, and he's a proven winner with a lot of knowledge."
Byerley has a bachelor's in health and physical education from South Alabama.
April Byerley
April has a proven record of teaching and managing pitching staffs. She was pitching coach for the North Georgia team that advanced to the NCAA Division II semifinals last season.
The Minnesota native is thrilled to be staying in warmer climes.
"I love that it's in the South," she said. "It's a family atmosphere, and it's a great place for us to be."
North Georgia won the 2022 Peach Belt Conference regular season and conference championships, and the pitching staff finished second in the Peach Belt with a 2.61 ERA. They were one victory short of 50 for the season after winning the Southeast Regional and Super Regional.
She worked with pitchers at Southeastern Louisiana from 2020-21. The Lions had two no-hitters in a season for the first time in 2021, and pitchers set a new mark for saves in a season. The Lions beat Power 5 schools in both seasons.
In 2019, she was a volunteer coach at Spring Hill, where she coached the Southern Intercollegiate Athletics Conference Starting Pitcher of the Year, a First-Team All-SIAC pitcher, and the SIAC Tournament MVP. Spring Hill won the conference championship.
She started her coaching career at Niceville High School, where in seven years the team was Florida runners-up three times and district champs five times.
Byerley began her college playing career at Northwest Florida State, where she was a pitcher/outfielder. She was twice named All-Panhandle Conference. After graduation, she went to play in the SEC at South Carolina. She still holds the Gamecocks record with 32 relief appearances in a season, and she ranks fourth on the all-time list with 53 relief appearances in two seasons.
"I knew April from her time at Southeastern," Kuhn said. "I knew she was a great player and a successful coach at Southeastern and North Georgia."
Byerley has an associate degree from Northwest Florida State and a bachelor's in experimental psychology from South Carolina.
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