Bryce Neal Season 2026
Bryce Neal will enter his third season on the LSU Softball staff as an Assistant Coach after joining LSU in June 2023.
Since coming to LSU, Neal has developed two NFCA All-Americans in Maci Bergeron and Tori Edwards, 10 NFCA All-Region selections and six All-SEC selections.
During the 2025 season, LSU had an explosive offense that featured seven statistics ranking in the top five of the program’s single-season record book. The Tigers set a program record with a .438 on-base percentage, ranked No. 3 with a .332 batting average and No. 5 with a .484 slugging percentage. LSU had scored 398 runs and had 359 RBI, both ranking No. 3 in the single-season record book, and drew 273 walks and had 29 sac flies, which sits at No. 2 in the record book. The Tigers totaled 134 extra-base hits, including 84 doubles, 42 home runs and eight triples. LSU was the No. 10 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and the team was 42-16, marking its third consecutive season with 40 or more wins.
The Tigers earned the No. 9 overall seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament for its 18th consecutive tournament appearance and 25th overall appearance. LSU went 44-17 on the year for its seventh 40-plus win season and second in as many years. The Bayou Bengals advanced to its 10th NCAA Super Regional after winning the Baton Rouge Regional to get out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. Offensively, LSU batted .290 behind 464 hits and recorded 18 games with 10 or more hits, including a season-high 16 twice.
Neal came to Baton Rouge after spending the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Louisville in the same capacity. In those two seasons, the Cardinals registered a 63-45 record and produced two NFCA All-Americans, five NFCA Southeast All-Region selections and nine All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) honorees.
In 2023, Louisville finished with a 36-20 record, including a 16-7 mark in the ACC which tied for the most league wins in program history since joining the conference in 2015. The Cardinals hit a program record 64 home runs last season, ranked No. 13 in the NCAA in home runs per game, and led the ACC with a .319 batting average.
Before Louisville, Neal had spent time at Bucknell as an assistant coach, overseeing player development in both offense and defense in 2021. Before Bucknell, Neal was a volunteer coach at Arizona State in 2020, where he helped the Sun Devils’ offense rank in the top five nationally in home runs, walks and scoring. He has also worked as a private instructor for five years and worked at the LSU Softball Camp in 2019.
Neal received his bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and was a Lions’ baseball team student-athlete.
Neal will come to Baton Rouge with his wife, Jill Barrett and their son, Brooks.