Salisbury, N.C. —- Catawba College has removed the interim tag from Catawba Softball head coach Allie Lyerly, officially naming her the fourth head coach in program history, Catawba College Vice President for Athletics Michelle Caddigan announced Thursday.
"I am thrilled to announce that we have officially removed the interim tag and named Allie Lyerly as the Head Coach of Catawba Softball," Caddigan said. "As a proud Catawba alumna and a member of our Athletics Hall of Fame, Coach Lyerly embodies the spirit, tradition and excellence of Catawba College. Her deep passion for the game of softball and unwavering love for Catawba College are evident in everything she does. She is a person of tremendous character, a leader who inspires and a fierce competitor who holds herself and her players to the highest standard. Throughout her time as interim head coach, she demonstrated exceptional leadership, commitment and vision for the future of our program. We are confident that under her guidance, Catawba Softball will thrive both on and off the field. Please join me in congratulating Coach Lyerly as she officially takes the helm of a program that means so much to her – and to all of us."
In her lone season as interim head coach, Lyerly led the Catawba Indians to a 23-23 overall record, finishing just outside of qualification for the South Atlantic Conference Tournament via a tiebreak. The team crushed the 2007 team's previous single-season home run record of 52 home runs with 65 round trippers in 2025, as SAC Player of the Year Brianna Gallagher -- the first to win the award in program history -- broke Lyerly's own individual single-season record of 15 homers in the '07 season with 16 blasts this year.
Additionally, Lyerly oversaw a season where Kary Hales set the new single-season and career doubles record with 20 doubles, which led the nation in the category for much of the season. Both Gallagher and Hales were named D2CCA First Team All-Americans, while Gallagher was a unanimous First Team All-America selection. Lyerly served as an Assistant Coach for two seasons before taking on the interim head role.
"First, I would like to thank Catawba President Dr. Nelson, Vice President for Athletics Michelle Caddigan and Deputy Director of Athletics Christie Ward for entrusting me to lead the Catawba Softball program," Lyerly said. "To say I am excited for this opportunity is an understatement. I am honored to be able to come back home and lead the program. I am looking forward to working with my longtime friend and mentor Coach Prescott. Most importantly, I am excited to have an opportunity to invest in the next generation."
Lyerly, the fourth head coach in program history, played under the inaugural head coach of the program Nan Whitley, while setting program records in most offensive statistical categories. The 2007 SAC Freshman of the Year helped lead the Catawba Indiians to 121 victories over heer four seasons as a student-athlete. A 2010 graduate of Catawba College, Lyerly -- alongside her husband Craige -- was inducted into the Catawba College Athletics Hall of Fame this past fall.
