Friday, February 7
Auburn, Ala.
12:30 PM CT/1:30 PM ET
North Carolina
vs
Appalachian State
Softball Opens Season On The Road At The Tiger Invitational
February 5, 2025 | Softball
AUBURN, Ala. – The Carolina softball team kicks off its 2025 campaign with a trip down to Auburn for the Tiger Invitational this weekend.
The Tar Heels open the season with a double header on Friday, starting with Appalachian State at 1:30 PM ET, and then they face Auburn at 6:30 PM ET. On Saturday, they'll take on the Mountaineers again at 4:00 PM ET then face Southern Illinois at 6:00 PM ET. The tournament closes on Sunday with one game against Auburn at 12:30 PM ET.
Only the games against Auburn will be streamed on SECN+.
NEWS & NOTES
LEADOFF HITS
- Megan Smith Lyon enters her second season as the leader of her alma mater
- In her first season at the helm the Tar Heels went 30-20 and 10-14 in ACC play
- The Tar Heels roster has a lot of new faces with 12 returners and 14 newcomers to the roster (7 transfers/7 freshmen)
A WIN WOULD...
- Be the Tar Heels fourth straight season opening win
KIWI'S COMEBACK
- After battling through numerous injuries and being hit by a car, Kiannah Pierce is back on the softball field in Carolina blue
- She looks to make her first appearance since May 8, 2022
- In two seasons of play, she is a career .314 hitter across 72 games played and 61 starts
RETURNING FIRE POWER
- Alex Coleman was ranked the no. 27 outfielder in the country with teammate Sanna Thompson slotting in a no. 29
- Coleman returns for her second season in Chapel Hill after a stellar 2024 season where she hit .436, walked 20 times while only striking out 11 times. She always was a menace on the base paths, stealing 20 bags
- Thompson was a breakout freshman in 2024, hitting .402, five homers, with an on base percentage of .477
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
- Freshman Lilly Parrish was named to both the D100 Freshman Watch List and the Softball America Freshman Watch List
- Parrish was a top-20 ranked recruit who is considered one of the top two-way freshman in the country
- Ella Fox was also named to the Softball America Watch List
SPECIAL NUMBER 3
- Alex Coleman wears #3 because it was the same number head coach Megan Smith Lyon wore when she played at Carolina
- At Marshall Coleman wore #4, but switched to three once she got to Carolina
- Coleman and Smith Lyon also played for the same club softball organization the Carolina Cardinals
SISTERS TOGETHER AGAIN
- Junior Caroline Fox is joined on the 2025 roster by her little sister Ella Fox
- The Fox sisters are two of seven siblings, they have three sisters and two brothersÂ
- Head Coach Megan Smith Lyon is quoted as saying "If you ask anybody on our team who works the hardest, who does everything the right way all the time, they'll all say Ella, always."
CAROLINA FEEL TO IT
- 43 of Carolina's 55 games take place in either North Carolina or South Carolina
- The Tar Heels only leave the Carolina's for three weekends (Tiger Invitational @ Auburn, Syracuse, Notre Dame)
- 34 games will take place at home in Anderson Stadium
LEGACY LEGACY LEGACY
- Britton Rogers is the daughter of Courtney Blades-Rogers, one of the most accomplished pitchers in NCAA history. She completed her career with 1,773 strikeouts (fifth in NCAA history), ranks second all-time with 215 wins, and holds the record for 52 victories in a season among many other pitching accomplishments from her Southern Miss career
OUR LEADER
- Head coach Megan Smith Lyon played for UNC head coach Donna J. Papa from 1996-1999 and served as team captain in her senior season. She still ranks sixth in career assists (380) and was named the team's Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 1999. She also joined her former head coaches' staff as an assistant in 2004. Smith's hometown is Walkertown, a little over an hour's drive to Chapel Hill
FAMILIAR FACE ON STAFF
- Assistant coach Kiwi Mateen James, a former UNC softball player (2013-2016) is married to former UNC basketball player Joel James and they have two children, a son, Ziggy, and a daughter, Zorah
- Coach Kiwi was inducted into the Jordan-Matthews High School Hall of Fame on Jan. 24, 2025
Â
Â
Â
The Tar Heels open the season with a double header on Friday, starting with Appalachian State at 1:30 PM ET, and then they face Auburn at 6:30 PM ET. On Saturday, they'll take on the Mountaineers again at 4:00 PM ET then face Southern Illinois at 6:00 PM ET. The tournament closes on Sunday with one game against Auburn at 12:30 PM ET.
Only the games against Auburn will be streamed on SECN+.
NEWS & NOTES
LEADOFF HITS
- Megan Smith Lyon enters her second season as the leader of her alma mater
- In her first season at the helm the Tar Heels went 30-20 and 10-14 in ACC play
- The Tar Heels roster has a lot of new faces with 12 returners and 14 newcomers to the roster (7 transfers/7 freshmen)
A WIN WOULD...
- Be the Tar Heels fourth straight season opening win
KIWI'S COMEBACK
- After battling through numerous injuries and being hit by a car, Kiannah Pierce is back on the softball field in Carolina blue
- She looks to make her first appearance since May 8, 2022
- In two seasons of play, she is a career .314 hitter across 72 games played and 61 starts
RETURNING FIRE POWER
- Alex Coleman was ranked the no. 27 outfielder in the country with teammate Sanna Thompson slotting in a no. 29
- Coleman returns for her second season in Chapel Hill after a stellar 2024 season where she hit .436, walked 20 times while only striking out 11 times. She always was a menace on the base paths, stealing 20 bags
- Thompson was a breakout freshman in 2024, hitting .402, five homers, with an on base percentage of .477
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
- Freshman Lilly Parrish was named to both the D100 Freshman Watch List and the Softball America Freshman Watch List
- Parrish was a top-20 ranked recruit who is considered one of the top two-way freshman in the country
- Ella Fox was also named to the Softball America Watch List
SPECIAL NUMBER 3
- Alex Coleman wears #3 because it was the same number head coach Megan Smith Lyon wore when she played at Carolina
- At Marshall Coleman wore #4, but switched to three once she got to Carolina
- Coleman and Smith Lyon also played for the same club softball organization the Carolina Cardinals
SISTERS TOGETHER AGAIN
- Junior Caroline Fox is joined on the 2025 roster by her little sister Ella Fox
- The Fox sisters are two of seven siblings, they have three sisters and two brothersÂ
- Head Coach Megan Smith Lyon is quoted as saying "If you ask anybody on our team who works the hardest, who does everything the right way all the time, they'll all say Ella, always."
CAROLINA FEEL TO IT
- 43 of Carolina's 55 games take place in either North Carolina or South Carolina
- The Tar Heels only leave the Carolina's for three weekends (Tiger Invitational @ Auburn, Syracuse, Notre Dame)
- 34 games will take place at home in Anderson Stadium
LEGACY LEGACY LEGACY
- Britton Rogers is the daughter of Courtney Blades-Rogers, one of the most accomplished pitchers in NCAA history. She completed her career with 1,773 strikeouts (fifth in NCAA history), ranks second all-time with 215 wins, and holds the record for 52 victories in a season among many other pitching accomplishments from her Southern Miss career
OUR LEADER
- Head coach Megan Smith Lyon played for UNC head coach Donna J. Papa from 1996-1999 and served as team captain in her senior season. She still ranks sixth in career assists (380) and was named the team's Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 1999. She also joined her former head coaches' staff as an assistant in 2004. Smith's hometown is Walkertown, a little over an hour's drive to Chapel Hill
FAMILIAR FACE ON STAFF
- Assistant coach Kiwi Mateen James, a former UNC softball player (2013-2016) is married to former UNC basketball player Joel James and they have two children, a son, Ziggy, and a daughter, Zorah
- Coach Kiwi was inducted into the Jordan-Matthews High School Hall of Fame on Jan. 24, 2025
Â
Â
Â
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP/UTL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballUNC Volleyball: Carolina Sweeps #11 Florida
Wednesday, September 10
Bill Belichick Coach's Corner - Episode 3 - September 9, 2025
Tuesday, September 09
FB: Players Pre-Richmond Press Conference, 9/9/25
Tuesday, September 09
FB: Players Pre-Richmond Press Conference
Tuesday, September 09