Bio

In her first two seasons at Gulf Coast, April Byerley helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back 30-win seasons and trips to the postseason. She’s back for a third season looking to raise the bar even higher.

The 2024 squad went 34-22 and finished sixth in the rugged MACCC. The team was led by outfielder Jorja Roberson, who earned NJCAA All-American honors. She was also named to the CSC Academic All-American team. She will continue her collegiate playing career at NCAA Division I North Alabama, as will catcher/first baseman Natalie Shaw. Shaw was named to the All-Region 23 team. 

Jett Harrell, an All-MACCC outfielder/pitcher, will play at NCAA Division I UTSA. Freshmen Aleah Beaugez and Savannah Wilbanks also earned All-Conference honors and return for 2025.

The 2023 team finished 39-20, including a memorable run in the Region 23 Tournament. The Bulldogs tied for fifth in the MACCC then claimed three dramatic walk-off wins in the regional to finish fifth.

Byerley 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 in 2022.

The Nighthawks won the 2022 Peach Belt Conference regular season and conference championships, and the pitching staff finished second in the Peach Belt Conference 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.

Byerley has an associate degree from Northwest Florida State and a bachelor’s in experimental psychology from South Carolina. She is married to Jack, also a Gulf Coast assistant coach.