"The coaching approach has shown a clear pattern of favoritism. Certain players were consistently kept in the same positions and lineup spots regardless of repeated errors or performance issues. These players were rarely corrected, held accountable, or given opportunities to improve specific weaknesses in practice. At the same time, other players were not given meaningful chances to step into those roles, limiting both individual growth and the team’s overall potential. This lack of flexibility led to predictable outcomes, with the same mistakes recurring and no visible adjustments being made. It was especially frustrating given the amount of talent on the team—there is real potential here, but it is not being developed effectively. Additionally, there was obvious tension within the coaching staff the past 2 years. Two more than capable assistant coaches were present this year as well but, they were not given the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to player development. This limited the support and instruction available to the athletes. Concerns about leadership style also stood out. There was little accountability taken when things went wrong, with blame often shifting elsewhere. The coaches backhanded remarks toward players were frequently hurtful, lacked constructive intent, and were inappropriate. Practices often lacked structure and intensity, and despite significant fundraising efforts, the program still seems under-equipped for a competitive level of play. Overall, this experience has been disappointing, especially for players who have dedicated their final years to the program. With stronger leadership, openness to collaboration, and a more balanced approach to player development, this team could achieve so much."

"Coach Beirne is extremely hard to play for due to her negativity and lack of respect for her players and coaching staff. She shows up to every event late, which shows she has no respect for anyone else's time. She will not take suggestions on how to improve practices to help the program, which has not been successful under her leadership and she acts like people are beneath her. Yes, we all respected and liked coach Mandy and had a great relationship, but she would encourage us to be respectful of Coach Beirne and communicate concerns or issues with her. We would just get blown up on, so she would just try to help us to the best of her abilities because if we were listening to her too much, Coach Beirne would get upset with that! Coach Mandy really did try to be supportive of her, but you could see the lack of respect she was getting in return really wore on her, especially when she was making such an impact on the program! And the assistants now are getting treated even worse! It's sad that people that work for you and people that are playing for you can't get basic respect! "

"HORRID coach. Little league practices are organized better. She gets off on her “power” and is in coaching for all the wrong reasons. My daughter said practices are a joke and she struts around all cocky after showing up 30 minutes late to practice... I think she thinks she’s cool by watching her every game day. She’s pretty much been terrible in every single aspect. She has no character and provides no leadership to HER team. Shes disorganized and is all DRAMA. She rags HER own team every chance she gets. Notice I'm capitalizing HER. The power trip with HER is pathetic. Maybe she should read a book on how to run an organized practice, to effectively communicate and how to run a team. Softball 101 for idiots is that still available?? HER pitching practices are pointless and provide no instruction. She’s beyond terrible and I would not recommend. "

"Need to hire Coach Mandy as the head coach. Beirne is just going through the motions at this point. She forgets to re enter players & her ego is HUGE. If you’re a pitcher you won’t be developed and you will get worse. Be warned. She tries to make everyone throw like she did and pitches all suffer. Gets drills from TikTok, pitch every single day with zero plan. No growth is happening here. "

"I have followed the Jags all season and it’s pretty evident now more than ever that Coach Mandy was the brains of the operation last season. Coach Beirne’s terrible coaching is on display for all to see as yesterday I was watching ESPN+ and the announcer said she neglected to put a player back into the game resulting in an out. That’s not even the bad part. Coach Beirne always used to tell us how good of a pitching coach she is and how good of a pitcher she was which was honestly annoying. She left a pitcher that the announcer said was a freshman high and dry to give up back to back to back HRs before making a pitching change. Why would you do that to someone? Coach Mandy always said that we would win more if she called the pitches and after watching this year it’s really hard to argue that. They out hit RMU, they made less errors than RMU and still Coach Beirne found a way to lose. I’m sure none of it is on her though. When I played she was never at fault. Not the leader I would recommend to anyone bc she’s not one. Clearly the athletic department does not care about softball because this has been going on for years. "

"Coach Mandy believed in me and I had a strong relationship with her. Coach Beirne has been completely different this year. "

"Completely gaslit another coach last year. Evident she would have made a better Head Coach. Proof is in the statistics. This coach deserved so much more and Coach Beirne takes every opportunity to trash her. Even last year I was manipulated into thinking the other coach was in the wrong and then telling a half truthful story to us in the fall when it was irrelevant to the year was strange we didn’t even fix our core problem of drama and partying. Coach Beirne doesn’t know what she’s doing and it’s beyond frustrating. It’s frustrating when your coach isn’t open to new ideas or opinions and doesn’t change anything. One thing is for certain Coach Beirne has a big ego, knows everything and loves to talk about herself. I just wanted to play softball but it’s more like playing a drama filled mind game. "

"As a hitting instructor and travel coach in the area I’ve heard a lot of bad things about Liz. Players seem to get worse going to this program. She told one of my girls on a recruiting visit she doesn’t like practice and that she only likes games. I think that’s a bizarre statement for a coach to make and telling of a poor run program. I have hitters at both Marian and UIndy that absolutely love their experience and have great coaches. I’d rather send my good hitters to those programs that value the game and what it takes to be great. "

"Drug Coach Mandy through the mud and tried to ruin her reputation this fall. I loved Coach Mandy and believe she brought the team our success. Beirne has a huge ego and is a drama momma. If you like getting worse this is the coach for you. She’s more interested in talking behind your back than coaching. Coach Mandy moved on. Why are you trying to ruin her reputation with half truths and lies. "

"Really hard to win ball games with team ERA north of 10. For a self proclaimed pitching guru - her teams consistently have terrible pitching and that’s mostly due to her being the pitching coach. Her pitch calling is atrocious. When I was there the pitchers threw every single day which is insane if you know anything about pitching. What she teaches doesn’t work. There is no development, it’s mostly her just trying to get them to all pitch the exact same way, which seems pretty counterproductive. Yelling throw strikes isn't motivational from the bench. The last time I looked opposing hitters were hitting over .400. She’s out of touch with the game and I’m sure she’s preaching like she always used to that she was so good and when she pitched, she did this. Get over yourself, she played 30 years ago it’s insane she keeps her job. "

"I was really close with Coach Mandy and it was evident Coach Beirne didn’t like that players went to her. I truly believe Coach Mandy was the reason we had a successful season last year. It was clear her and Coach Beirne didn’t see eye to eye on most things so players started to listen more to Coach Mandy. I believe if she would have called the pitches last year we might have won the conference. I personally don’t think Coach Beirne knows what she’s doing. She has a big ego and a big mouth. She’s constantly chirping at umpires about plays that are in the past. What she says after games rarely makes sense and are often condescending to what she has said previously. We have tried to call out that maybe we aren’t doing what we are supposed to be doing and instead of listening she gets super super defensive. At one point of the season multiple of my teammates were crying in the circle bc of degrading things Coach Beirne said. She’s out of touch and not motivating at all. She constantly brings up the past and what happened last year- leaving out the part that Coach Mandy largely held the entire team together. We have a very dysfunctional team because Coach Beirne lets players party and do what they want. Those players are largely rewarded with playing time. Coach Beirne has clear favorites and how she writes the lineup over and over makes zero sense. She micromanages everything to the point of making everything confusing. She doesn’t treat current players or assistant coaches with any respect. It’s clear to see that she thinks she’s better than she is. I would think you would want to create a cohesive team but she does the exact opposite. She’s told us that she only needs 5 players to buy into her. Its truly the Coach Beirne show. She constantly talks about herself, how she hated practice as a player and how she was an avid partier. Why is this something she preaches to us? Then turns around and yells that WE ARENT SHOWING UP. At this point it’s all laughable. That’s all you can do is laugh. She’s made the games, practice and any softball related function beyond miserable. Literally everyone is miserable. Lazy players are rewarded in this program. There is no discipline what so ever. We have a hitting coach that is overruled by Coach Beirne telling players how to swing and what to do. Myself and others value the opinions of our assistants by they get zero voice or say in anything. I think that’s rude and unprofessional. We’ve had players drink the night before games and girls who are consistently hungover on our bus trips. There’s so much drama within the team it is toxic. This practically mirrors Coach Beirne’s actions. She’s very negative and always talks behind players backs. She puts down other athletic teams and coaches literally in front of us. Coach Beirne has chosen players in leadership positions that should not be in them. We were pre seasoned ranked to be the second best team in the conference and started the season off really strong. Coach Beirne’s constant negativity and unwillingness to change on top of dysfunction she allows to continue to happen has tanked us this year. We have a non existent team culture and at this point we are just going through the motions. It’s beyond frustrating and mentally draining to deal with on top of school work and daily life. "

"Coach Mandy and I would laugh every time Coach Beirne would bring up how good of a player she was and she did this 24/7. She would always say she didn’t like awards though and I thought that was weird so we did some digging. You can literally search NFCA NAIA All Region teams. I would think if Coach Beirne was such a stellar pitcher that was just absolutely so good surely her name would be listed as being just All Region. Nope. I searched 2001-2004 and her name isn’t anywhere to be found as being NFCA All Region but some of her teammates are listed on there. To be clear. I’m not saying she wasn’t good or that she was bad as a player but the way she talks about how she pitched and how good she was in her career you would think she would easily be NFCA All Region. After finding this information it was hard for me to keep listening to her talk about herself and pitching. She would always brag to our team about partying in college, maybe if she didn’t she would have been better. If you want to go to a school with a coach that constantly talks about herself and how good she was IUPUI is the place for you. She’s the type of coach that claims already good players. I didn't see her make anyone better during my time here. If anything she makes players worse. "

"I tried to do the right thing and tell administration of my bad experiences with Coach Beirne and they didn’t care. I’m not shocked to hear of the bad experiences that are continuing with the program. The Indianapolis area is full of great softball talent so her lack of success is pure laziness. Record: 2021: 14-31 2022: 12-38 2023: 16-31 2024: 13-37 2025: 22-27 (Coach Mandy) 2026:6-31 so far Can’t say I’m shocked problems persist with her she is a know it all that makes the game miserable. She has always been more interested in gossip and drama instead of doing things the right way. I wasted my playing career playing here and now that I’m older I completely regret it and wish I would have done things differently. "

"Coach Mandy was right. Coach Berine has no idea what she’s doing. She’s a joke of a coach and the only reason we won last year is because of Coach Mandy. Glad she got out of here and left that horrific program that’s run by a complete narcissist of a person. There’s a reason why she can’t keep anyone and Coach Mandy deserved better. My playing experience here was brutal and I would not recommend to anyone. She’s the laziest coach on the planet. You won’t like your experience here. There’s a reason my teammates opened an investigation into her even though no one listened. Not shocked to hear she’s still being mentally and emotionally abusive. My college experience as a player was wasted as I got much from going through the motions. It’s sad. "

"Coach Mandy clearly was the only reason why we won last year. She was right about Coach Beirne. "

"If you’re thinking about coming here the school is great, but you will not develop as a player under this coach. Ruined everyones season, self esteem, and confidence. Does not make an effort to build a relationship with all players, and very disorganized. You will not be treated fairly. She will not be honest with you and talks about players but never says it directly to the players face. Her Communication is terrible. I do not feel valued or important to the program due to her lack of building a relationship with players and honesty. Overall she damaged everyone’s spirits this season. I would like to mention the teams culture is amazing and all the players are so nice, players definitely bonded over the ridiculousness we had to deal with this season "

"Lycoming head coach now. Horribly toxic. Shows blatant extreme favortism. Enjoys bullying, swearing at and humiliating players. Screams at referees to the point it’s embarrassing. Keeps some players down not ever giving them a fair chance to prove what they can do. Mentally and emotionally abusive causing anxiety and depression. Holds players to different standards. Some have to be perfect while others can mess up constantly. Not a healthy environment. "

"I wish I could say my experience ended positively, but being injured completely changed how this coach treated me. Once I got hurt, it felt like I stopped existing — he no longer spoke to me, didn’t include me in team activities, and made it clear that being injured somehow made me less worthy. I wasn’t given the same team gear as others and, despite showing up to every practice and home meet after my surgery, I wasn’t recognized with a senior plaque after four years of commitment. What made it harder was that I was still required to complete all of my volunteer hours and responsibilities, even though I was no longer given the same respect or inclusion as the rest of the team. It was painful to realize that his support and care only extended as far as my ability to compete. I truly loved my sport and my team, but this experience left me feeling unseen and dismissed at a time when I needed understanding the most."

"As someone who started for Jackie (and Kathryn,) it sucks for me to write this but it's true. They both made me do their dirty work and get gossip from inside the team and report back to them. They also indirectly said I should "watch who I hangout with" but they were referring to their own players on the team. I thought the manipulation and mental games were "tough coaching" and making us "mentally stronger" but it was abuse plain and simple. She made us feel like our worth as people depended on how we performed on the field. If you messed up—even once—you were ignored, humiliated, or punished. I watched teammates get completely torn down emotionally for things that should’ve been treated as teachable moments. She played mind games constantly like turning us against each other, favoring people one day and freezing them out the next. It wasn’t about developing athletes or helping young women grow. It was about control, ego, and power. Looking back, I’m honestly embarrassed I let myself believe that kind of behavior was “normal” or okay. If you're a parent considering this program, think long and hard about the kind of environment you're putting your daughter into."

"Jackie is a manipulative fraud who capitalizes on harming her athletes. Not many people transferred out of the University of Michigan under Coach Hutch, but she did. Why? Partying and not enough play time for her. If you even try to coach anywhere, best of luck staying there because the girls who's dreams were crushed by you because your lack of intelligence and coaching ability will make sure you don't stay there for long. I hope you sleep well at night knowing you were FIRED from your last coaching job because of mental health abuse. I hope you're embarassed that 30+ players who you have coached came forward and wrote a person statement, filled with the abuse and harm you have done to them over the years. I hope you never coach anyone ever again. Nobody deserves anything you put them through. Oh, and it's not just girls who were on JV going against you. Your favorites and starters wrote things against you right under you and Kathryn's nose. Nobody likes you, we don't care. "

"Jackie and Kathryn are both embarassing women to the sport of softball. If you see they're are coaching anywhere- run. Good luck coaching anywhere else, you will never hear the end of this, and people deserve to know what you did to us. "

"Jackie Barley- the coward you are. Retweets things on Twitter about her own "coaching style" (obviously positive things) yet never spoke to her players at practices/games and hid behind Kathryn. Jackie thinks mental health is a joke and kids these days need to "toughen up" but in reality she really does emotionally and mentally abuse her players in ways she could never comprehend. It's funny because she never spoke up at practice yet had manipulative tactics to get in your head. I hope you are never hired to coach anywhere ever again. You don't deserve it and impressionable kids and players need to be saved from being around you. "

"She knows her college playing career was a fraud. She never lived up to the potential she thought she had. Also not many players EVER transferred out of Michigan under Hutch so that says a lot as well as transferring from Central after. She should really remove Michigan out of her twitter bio she didn’t earn it there. "

"Jackie Barley is a disgrace to this sport. Just because you were good in high school doesn't mean it'll transfer over into a coaching aspect. Jackie won't say anything in practice and offers no instruction, and does not speak unless spoken to. A pathetic coach who ruins the experience of college softball and dreams of many young women. Run far away from this University and this coaching staff. "

"Never talks to players but sure likes to talk on social media. Just overall doesn’t talk to anyone besides over text because she is too afraid of confrontation. Spineless. Claims she played at Michigan but didn’t even last a whole year there so she never played and was never listed on roster. You can say you played if you lasted a whole season at a school. "