Polk State College

Donna Byars enters her sixth season as head coach at Polk State.

She came to the Eagles from Bartow High School, where she served as head softball coach. 

In her first two seasons as head coach, Byars led Bartow to a Final Four appearance in 2015 and a state championship in 2016. She was named FACA Coach of the Year and The Ledger Coach of the Year. 

“This is a dream come true,” Byars said about coming to Polk State. 

“I am very thankful and looking forward to the opportunity to help the program grow with the additional support of the community and staff at Polk State College.” 

She has been a head coach at Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland, an assistant coach at Lake Region High School in Eagle Lake, and an assistant coach for Florida Gold. 

A Bartow High School graduate, Byars played on the Lady Jackets softball team that won the school’s first state championship in 1997. 

After playing four years of softball at Bartow High School, Byars attended Daytona State College on a softball scholarship and then transferred to the University of North Florida to play softball for two years.  She earned All Region and All Conference team honors at UNF in 2003. 

Byars graduated from UNF with a degree in health science and a minor in education.