Diamond Sparkles Episode 7: Briley Byrnes ~ Pineville Lady Rebels
“This is what I do. Softball is my life.” That was the response that Class of 2027 Slapper for the Pineville High School Lady Rebels gave us when asked if she ever got tired of Softball.
Playing Softball year-round and even ramping it up over the summer, we asked if she ever just wanted to take a day off from the work. “Every day. Every day”, Byrnes told us. “Some days I dread it, but then I think… this is what I do. I love Softball”, she added.
What is most refreshing when talking with or being around Briley Byrnes is that she is coachable. In this day and age, we see a lot of people that resist others pouring into their lives. Not Briley. Not once.
She is quick to mention her Softball Head Coach as one of the driving forces behind what she does. “She (Coach Allison Frye) will bite and claw. Coach Allison knows deep down in us what every one of us has.”
And it doesn’t stop there. Briley is quick to point to her family as her rock. When asked of the competitiveness that runs in her family, she was almost speechless. From her Grandfather Mike “Big Daddy” Byrnes (himself a Louisiana Coaching legend) to her Dad Matt Joe who turned her on to slapping, it’s her sister Berkley that fuels her the most.
“Berkley (Class of 2029) is the most competitive. She drives me to be a better player. Knowing that she will be here next year it will drive us both to better each other” Briley told us.
And the hard work and countless reps have paid off. Briley is coming off a year with the Lady Rebels that saw here put up pretty big numbers in her sophomore season.
Summertime is where Briley ramps things up. While not practicing with the Lady Rebels during the Summer, Byrnes is traveling the Country with the United 16U team.
This summer she had trips to Plano and Sugarland Texas for tournaments. Still ahead are trips to Dalton, Georgia and closer to home in the Death Valley Invitational in Baton Rouge at the end of June. Things wrap up for the United 16U with a trip to the Alliance tournament in Indianapolis, IN late July.
Definitely a long, hot grueling summer, but the Rising Junior wouldn’t have it any other way. She is relentlessly dedicated to her craft to not only be a better player, but she also stresses that she wants to be a better teammate. She has played with some great leaders and points to those just graduating as examples of how to lead by example. “We have a legacy at Pineville High School, and I just love this team.”
Wherever Briley Byrnes ends up playing her college ball, it will be a team that gets a great ball player, a great worker, a great teammate, but more importantly a great person. You can’t teach work ethic. Byrnes has that. But she has a quality that will allow her to succeed… she listens, and she learns.
Keep an eye on our new Facebook page The Pelican Softball Report to follow all of the Lady Rebels action this season.
Diamond Sparkles is a year-round column that tells the stories behind the stories of the Pelican State’s softball players. If you have someone that would make a great story send us an email to info@446sports.com
For more Diamond Sparkles articles check this one out on St Fred’s rising senior Avery Houser
