Bio

Mackenzie Byrd is in her second season as the head softball coach at East Mississippi Community College and third year overall with the program.

Byrd was elevated to interim head softball coach at EMCC this past January prior to the 2023 season after serving as the Lions’ assistant coach the previous year. She then had the interim tag removed in May following the 2023 campaign. A former Copiah-Lincoln Community College and Alabama State University middle infielder, she was previously promoted when former EMCC head softball coach Whitney Hawkins left to take a coaching position at the University of North Alabama.

This past season with Byrd at EMCC’s softball helm, the Lions posted their winningest season in five years by recording the program’s most overall wins (11) and most conference victories (8) since the 2018 softball season.

EMCC's youthful 2023 softball squad, consisting of 12 freshmen and six sophomores, opened the MACCC slate with four straight wins and sat at 8-4 in conference play before encountering a challenging season-ending stretch that comprised three opponents ranked 11th or higher in the NJCAA Division II rankings and two other foes listed among teams receiving national votes. All but one of EMCC's final eight MACCC opponents this past season advanced to the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament, including eventual national championship finalists Copiah-Lincoln and Jones.

Off the field under Byrd’s guidance this past year, the Lions maintained the softball program’s notable classroom excellence by again earning NJCAA All-Academic Team honors with a 3.55 composite grade point average. 

Upon graduation from Alabama State in 2020, Byrd moved to Hattiesburg to begin jointly working as an assistant manager for D1 Training and also as a softball instructor for the D-BAT softball academy. Byrd served as a softball instructor and coach for two years while also helping young athletes develop their individual training programs.

Byrd’s softball coaching experience began when she served as a travel ball coach for Next Level Athletics during the summer months throughout her collegiate playing stints at Co-Lin and Alabama State. For five straight summers (2015-19), she was charged with managing practices for the Under-16 travel ball team as well as coordinating the club’s strength and conditioning program.

Following her two seasons at Copiah-Lincoln, Byrd transferred to Montgomery-based Alabama State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. After redshirting the 2018 season, she went on to make 29 total starts during her two-year ASU playing career. As a redshirt junior, Byrd was a member of the Lady Hornets’ 2019 SWAC Tournament Championship team.

Within the classroom at ASU, Byrd was a two-year member of the SWAC All-Academic Team and graduated in 2020 with a 3.8 cumulative grade point average. While completing her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with minors in management and communications, she spent the spring semester of her senior year working as a marketing intern within the Alabama State athletics department.

A native of Richton, Byrd began her college career at Copiah-Lincoln in Wesson. As a freshman, she batted .271 as a member of the 2016 Lady Wolves’ team that posted records of 29-14 overall and 19-11 in league play to advance to the state tournament. Byrd went on to hit .264 as a 33-game starter during her sophomore season at Co-Lin.

As a multi-sport athlete at Leakesville’s Greene County High School, Byrd lettered four years in softball and basketball as well as participating in track and cross country. She was a two-time softball team captain for the Lady Wildcats and earned all-division honors all four years.