Get on board with Line Drive Media’s regular feature, The Final Pitch!

We are scouring the Internet and Social Media and keeping our ears to the street for the latest going on in the softball community.

To contribute information, insights, thoughts or content ideas, email us at carlos.arias@linedrivemedia.com, DM at @los_stuff on Twitter or text (949) 606-3602.

Here’s our TFP for Friday, July 4, 2025:

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THE FINAL PITCH: MAKYNNA BYRD

Uncommitted 2030 RHP/OF Makynna Byrd recently talked to Line Drive Media about OC Batbusters-Stith/Byrd, PGF/Alliance Nationals, reaching the PGF Nationals finals and winning an Alliance national championship, winning the recent 12U Triple Crown Brashear Summer Invitational, California players, becoming a slapper, Texas Glory, overcoming injury, athletic family, future college, college camps, prosecutor, math, Regan Shockey and Kaitlyn Terry, “Not If You Break Up With Me First,” Kendrick Lamar, “Young Sheldon,” Legally Blonde” and dolphin sounds.

THE FINAL PITCH Q&A

Name: Makynna Byrd

Hometown: Coto de Caza, CA

Middle School: St. John’s Episcopal School

Club Team: OC Batbusters-Stith/Byrd 12U

Graduation Year: 2030

Height: 5-4

Position/s: RHP/OF

Nickname: “Mak.” My parents gave me the nickname “Big Mak,” but it turned into just “Mak” as I got older.

Social Media: @mak14amazingggg and @makb.14 on Instagram

Honors: All-Tournament at Alliance Nationals (2024), Alliance Super Cup Clutch Player of the Tournament and multiple Triple Crown All Tournament Teams.

Travel Ball Summer 2024 Stats: Hitting — .464 AVG, .518 OBP; Pitching — ERA 1.42 ERA, .143 BAA.

Travel Ball Fall 2024 Stats: Hitting — .472 AVG, .525 OBP; Pitching — 0.28 ERA, .141 BAA.

Travel Ball Summer 2025 Stats (So Far): Hitting — .548 AVG, .576 OBP; Pitching — 1.135 ERA, .122 BAA.

Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? My dad (Jeff Byrd) was my coach when we were the So Cal FireByrds in 10U and he decided to take our team to OC Batbusters once we got to 12U. He wanted our players to have access to a great workout facility and great players.

Tell us about your experience at PGF/Alliance Nationals? I was very fortunate to play in both the PGF and Alliance national championship games in back-to-back years. My 10U So Cal FireByrds team had an awesome season and we finished the season with a record of 102-3, but we did lose the PGF national championship game. It was the first tournament game our team ever lost that year! My experience at the Alliance national championship tournament ended on a more positive note as we won the national championship as a first-year 12U team! I really like the format of the Alliance national championship tournament as it is formatted like the Women’s College World Series. It is a lot of softball, but the format is really cool. I was voted to the Alliance Nationals All-Tournament team after leading my team in hitting. We are hoping to repeat as back-to-back champions this summer!

Can you talk about helping your team reach the PGF finals in 2023 and win an Alliance national title last summer? Reaching the PGF finals in 2023 was a lot of fun. My team was the exact same team of girls that I had played with since 6U. My team finished 96-8 in 8U, winning the Western Regionals championship and then we won the California state and national championship as a first-year 10U team in All-Stars in 2022, the summer before playing in the PGF finals in 2023. We took our entire rec team and went into travel ball and won every single 10U travel tournament until we lost the last game. It was pretty amazing to have a rec All-Star team come so close to winning a PGF national championship. It was an amazing experience to play on TV. When we went to OC Batbusters the following fall, only four girls stayed on my team from my So Cal FireByrds team. But we picked up a bunch of incredible players and helping that team accomplish something that had never been done before was so fun. No one expected a first-year team to beat all the bigger and stronger teams and win the national championship. Being a big part of that success was awesome!

Can you talk about helping your team win the recent 12U Triple Crown Brashear Summer Invitational title? I pitched two of the six wins we had in that tournament and was able to help quite a bit at the plate by batting .500. I was fortunate enough to make the All-Tourney team. I’m just happy anytime I can help my team win in any way that I’m asked. That was a super fun and competitive tournament and I look forward to playing in it again next year!

What makes players from the state of California special? I think players from California have an advantage because they can play softball all year. We have such nice weather and we can play a lot. There are also a lot of private coaches in California that girls can train with all year. The level of competition is very high in California, which makes all the girls better.

What was your biggest focus in the offseason? My biggest focus in the offseason is continuing to become a better slapper. I grew up a right-handed hitter and had a lot of success, but I switched to the left side of the plate and started learning to slap a little over a year ago. It is very difficult to just switch from right-handed to left-handed after eight years of batting right-handed. I work on it a lot with my dad (Jeff Byrd) and coaches and I’m getting better and better and have been able to help my team.

Which player/team has been your toughest opponent and why? Our toughest opponent was the Texas Glory team that we played in the Alliance national championship series last summer. They were super-talented and were an older team with really good pitching. I came up in the last inning when the game was tied and it was very stressful. I got a hit and then our team walked it off to win it all a couple (of) batters later!

What have you faced/overcome in life that has made you the person you are today? I fractured the growth plate in my shoulder when I was 8 years old. I had to go through a few months of physical therapy and wasn’t able to play for three months. It taught me at a young age that I need to take care of my body better like all (of) my coaches tell me all the time.

Do you have any family members/siblings that are athletes? Yes, my brother and my sister. My sister is 9 years old and her name is Hayden (Byrd). She is a really, really good athlete. She plays softball, soccer (Flight 1 Blues team), flag football and basketball. Hayden is probably the best 8U pitcher in the state and her All-Star team is 29-2 and they just won their District championship. She’s also really good at soccer and crushes it in flag football and basketball. My brother, Gavin (Byrd), is 7 years old and plays baseball, flag football, basketball and soccer. He is addicted to baseball and is also a very good athlete. My dad (Jeff Byrd) played football at Stanford University and my mom (Jenn Byrd) played softball at Elon University.

What are you looking for in a future college? I am hoping to play softball for a highly-ranked academic university that also has a good softball team. I’m hoping to play at Stanford University like my dad. Academics is very important to me

What college camps have you attended and are you planning to attend and why? I am still in 12U so I haven’t started to plan for college camps, yet, but I would love to go to a camp at Stanford, Duke, Michigan, UCLA, Northwestern or the Ivy League schools!

What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? I would like to be a prosecutor because I want to put criminals in jail.

What’s your favorite subject to study in school and why? My favorite subject is math. Math is fun and I really understand numbers and problem solving.

Who is your sports hero and why? Regan Shockey (an All-Big 12 outfielder from Arizona). Regan is a former OC Batbuster and an Alliance and PGF national champion. She is an amazing slapper and outfielder for the University of Arizona. She was a right-handed hitter, who switched to become a slapper when she was 11 or 12 years old, just like I did. I have done slapping lessons with her and she is a good role model.

Because I pitch, slap and play outfield, Kaitlyn Terry (an All-Pac-12 P/OF for UCLA) is also someone I like to watch. I think she may be the only pitcher/slapper in Division 1 college softball. That is very hard to do.

What’s your favorite book to read and why? “Not If You Break Up With Me First” (by GF Miller). It is my favorite because there are a bunch of plot twists and it kept me super interested.

What’s the best hype song and why? “TV Off” by Kendrick Lamar. It has a really good beat that gets us hype!

What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? “Young Sheldon.”

What’s your favorite movie and why? “Legally Blonde.” It is really funny and one of those movies I will watch whenever it is on.

Do you have a secret talent/skill? I make a really good dolphin sound!

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NEWS & NOTES

***Triple Crown Colorado 4th of July is Jube 30-July 6 in Denver Metro Area. To follow the tournament online, CLICK HERE.

***Independence Day Tournament is July 2-6 in Boulder, CO. To follow the tournament online, CLICK HERE.

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SIGNING/COMMITMENT ALERTS

Maddie Berry (2025, RHP, Mojo-Sampson/Hyatt/Latta High, SC, Wofford College)

✈️📍Next stop: Sparkle City

Welcome to Wofford, @MaddieB65199241 !✨#NationalSigningDay2024 #GoTerriers pic.twitter.com/shOxT0aCvB

— Wofford Softball (@WoffordSoftball) November 13, 2024

Emry Masterson (2025, IF, Georgia Impact-Sampson/Gusaeff/Silverdale Baptist High, TN, Wofford College)

✈️📍Next stop: Sparkle City

Welcome to Wofford, @EmryMasterson ! ✨#NationalSigningDay2024 #GoTerriers pic.twitter.com/SMbqKFP3WQ

— Wofford Softball (@WoffordSoftball) November 13, 2024

Kacey Pillion (2025, C, Fury Platinum National 2025-Davenport/Lakeway Christian High, TN, Wofford College)

✈️📍Next stop: Sparkle City

Welcome to Wofford, @KaceyPillion !✨#NationalSigningDay2024 #GoTerriers pic.twitter.com/2o1s3H147i

— Wofford Softball (@WoffordSoftball) November 13, 2024

Madison Thieke (2025, OF, LLG-McCauley/Riverside High, SC, Wofford College)

✈️📍Next stop: Sparkle City

Welcome to Wofford, @Madison_thieke ! ✨#NationalSigningDay2024 #GoTerriers pic.twitter.com/lMXuZneE4y

— Wofford Softball (@WoffordSoftball) November 13, 2024

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HSOTD

Today’s Hype Song of the Day is …

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BTITW

Today’s Best Thing In The World is …

Joseph Kosinski’s ‘F1’ opens with $144M worldwide.

One of the biggest openings for an original film in recent decades

Read our review: https://t.co/xknjKpGwyX pic.twitter.com/Q9gkgP80VI

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 29, 2025

— Carlos Arias, Line Drive Media (Follow Carlos on Twitter @los_stuff)