North Carolina Softball Parts Ways with Pitching Coach

The North Carolina softball program has reportedly parted ways with pitching coach Maddie Holub, according to Softball America.

This decision comes just days after the Tar Heels failed to make the NCAA Tournament after closing out ACC play with three losses to Virginia Tech and a major blowout to Duke in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.

UNC had lofty goals of making its first-ever Super Regional appearance in 2026, just one year after appearing in the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2019. The team had its first 40-win season since 2017, had 23 top-100 RPI wins, beat three conference champions, and scored the most runs in program history at 378.

The same couldn’t be said for 2026.

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We’ve reached the end of the road. Thank you to our amazing fans for being with us every step of the way 🩵 pic.twitter.com/S45ykWS21q
— Carolina Softball (@UNCSoftball) May 10, 2026

While the offense rocked with players like Emily LeGette hitting a program-record 26 home runs, the pitching staff saw rough numbers. The lowest ERA came from Kenna Raye Dark at 4.51, while ace Kendall Frost was at a 5.44, and transfer Carly Maxton held a 5.86. The Tar Heels ended with a 32-19 overall record and a conference record of 9-15.

Head coach Megan Smith Lyon announced the addition of Holub to the staff in 2023 after she spent five seasons as the pitching coach on Smith Lyon’s staff at Marshall. There, Holub led the Sun Belt in 2023 with a league-best 1.62 ERA and 10 shutouts.

Marshall won 165 games out of 234 (.705 winning percentage), including 45 by shutout, in Holub's five years as pitching coach.

Prior to excelling at Marshall, Holub spent four seasons as the pitching coach at Saint Leo University. She helped the team achieve back-to-back NCAA Division II postseason appearances, including reaching the World Series in 2018. Her accomplishments earned her the NFCA National Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2015.

Holub also had a stellar career as the ace for Fort Hays State. She is still the program’s record holder in career hits (255), runs scored (183), RBI (160), home runs (46), wins (77), and strikeouts (974).

Now that the offseason is in full effect for Smith Lyon, it’s possible we see a ton of action from her. She’s never shy in the transfer portal, and now needs a new pitching coach. The coaching carousel is spinning already, and several Power 4 names are in.

Perhaps Piper Ritter is worth a phone call? Minnesota just parted ways with its former head coach, who spent more than 20 years with the Gophers as head coach, assistant coach, and player.

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