Emily Kirby Nagle

Biography

Two-time ASUN Pitcher of the Year Emily Kirby Nagle joined Head Coach Dot Richardson’s staff following the 2022 season as a volunteer assistant coach before being elevated to full-time assistant coach on July 1, 2023. Kirby assists with pitching instruction while also aiding with all aspects of running a successful NCAA Division I softball program. The Lady Flames finished the 2025 season with a 50-15 record, setting a new program record for single-season victories. Liberty won both the Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles for the second year in a row. The team made history at the 2025 NCAA Bryan-College Station Regional, winning two out of three games against No. 1 Texas A&M to earn its first-ever Super Regional appearance. The Lady Flames were the first team in the Super Regional era to knock out the No. 1 national seed in the Regional round. Additionally, Liberty obtained its highest ranking ever, finishing 15th in both the Softball America Top 25 and D1Softball Top 25. The 2025 season saw the continued dominance of Elena Escobar, who was named the 2025 CUSA Pitcher of the Year and Conference Tournament MVP. Escobar was also named to the NFCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region second team. Senior Paige Bachman and sophomore Kaylan Yoder joined Escobar on the CUSA All-Conference Team s second team selections. In 2024, the Lady Flames (38-25) won both the Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles, becoming the first team since 2015 (WKU) to win the CUSA champio