How North Carolina Softball Is Crafting a Lasting Legacy
Tough. Selfless. Committed. Unbreakable. Family.
Those aren’t just words that live on the wall of the North Carolina softball locker room or on the bracelets around players’ wrists. Those are the core values that form the foundation of the program, lived and breathed by the players and staff every single day.
With two seasons under her belt at the helm, Megan Smith Lyon has created an atmosphere on and off the field that has left UNC unrecognizable. The team put up the first 40-win season since 2017, had 23 top-100 RPI wins, beat three conference champions, and scored the most runs by any other team in program history at 378 – all in her first year of leadership.
The Tar Heels pushed to new heights in 2025, appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, but fell in two straight games in the Knoxville Regional.
Now it’s time to do something that’s never been done before – pair those five core values with a mantra exclusive to the 2026 roster.
All Heart. All Heel. All Us. The Legacy Starts with Us.
“Our goal is to get to a Super Regional, " sixth-year UNC outfielder Kiannah Pierce said in a phone interview with Softball On SI. “We have never done it, and we want to be the ones to start building that legacy and leaving Carolina as a top softball program, and part of that is doing something we have never done.
The staff got to work this offseason. Smith Lyon is historically never shy when it comes to using the transfer portal, and the additions have yet to fail her. Kat Rodriguez turned into an All-American under her direction, while Alex Coleman took over the Power 4 school after leaving a mid-major.
Not only are the Tar Heels bringing in eight freshmen, but six transfers with previous elite program experience are bolstering the lineup. One of those transfers, Raegan Jennings, is coming off a Women's College World Series run with Texas Tech.
“Everything is so new, and there is so much to build off of, especially with what coach Smith has done with the program over the last couple of years,” Jennings said. “It is so exciting as a transfer to be a part of something at UNC. Everybody is on the same page and ready to get to work and reach the same goal.”
A Smith Lyon roster thrives with diversity. Aside from the freshmen and sophomores that she recruited over the last three years, only four upperclassmen are true UNC recruits. The rest of the lineup is composed of transfers who come from all different backgrounds in softball.
“I have said this every year that Coach Smith has been here, but this is the best year I have ever seen us, and I really mean it this year,” Pierce said. “She has brought in some really elite players. You get the chills watching. I know what the program has looked like, and I know where we have been. I see the full picture. I told Coach Smith that I am not envious of her job of having to put together a lineup because we have so many players who are elite and high-quality players, which is really exciting because you know you can trust anybody.”
But in order to really make their dreams of building a legacy and setting the standard of North Carolina being a prestigious softball club, a family environment had to be built first, above anything else.
Whether it’s having a one-on-one coffee meeting, cooking dinner at her house, cutting out a practice to have a movie night, or a pickleball tournament, Smith Lyon’s No.1 priority has always been making sure her players feel they are a part of something bigger than just a softball team, and that they find joy in coming to the field every day.
First TPS team dinner was full of family, laughter and soul! The Swoosh cooked up an amazing soul food dinner! 🩵🐏 pic.twitter.com/1GAzSciBvg
— Megan Smith Lyon (@coachmegsmith) September 7, 2025
“I wanted to create a culture within our program where players can grow as people, as players, grow as leaders, who are respected by their coaching staff, who are given the ability to be themselves at all times, and not feel like they have to be anyone different,” Smith Lyon said. “They should feel like they are supported and they are loved, and feel like they are pushed to be excellent in everything they do.”
For many players, it’s the first time they’ve ever experienced something like this. Especially for graduate student Shelby Barbee, who spent three years at Virginia before transferring to her home state. Given the opportunity to play freely changed her perspective on the game.
“I couldn’t care less if I got cut (at Virginia) because I truly was not in the right mental space,” Barbee said. “I come (to UNC) and go through one of the worst hitting slumps I’ve ever had to start the season. Coach (Corey) Lyon looks at me, and he’s like, ‘I know you’re a great player, I know you’re going to work through this, just stick with me and keep working. ’ That was amazing, and (the coaching staff) has allowed me to fall in love with the sport again. I look forward to going to practice now. They make it so fun to be yourself and go compete on the field.”
Jennings even recounted her time in the portal after deciding to leave Texas Tech, a place where she experienced many coaching changes in just two years. She immediately knew her decision after one phone call with Smith Lyon.
“She makes every conversation so personable, and she really shows you that she cares about you,” Jennings said. "It wasn’t that I needed to get away from my old staff, but entering the portal, I knew that I wanted to play for coaches that I was going to have a relationship with after my career ends, and when softball is not there anymore."
The fall season is just the beginning of a long quest toward building the dream of a legacy for the Tar Heels.
With a handful of team practices having been held, bonds still being made, and core values and the mantra being digested, it’s evident that this Carolina roster is going to be one to watch in 2026.
Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018 .Her work has been published in various publications like Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.
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