April 14, 2025
Former Eustis High Softball Coach Brittany Beall Surges FAMU to Top of SWAC Standings
By Kyle Coppola
Former Eustis High Softball Coach Brittany Beall Surges FAMU to Top of SWAC Standings
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — First-year head coach Brittany Beall has Florida A&M softball on the rise, with the Rattlers surging to the top of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) standings. FAMU holds an 18-17 overall record and a 14-12 mark in conference play, placing them ahead of rivals Bethune-Cookman and Alabama State as the regular season nears its conclusion.
Beall, who took the helm in October 2024, has wasted no time in turning the program into a contender. The former Eustis High School coaching legend brought 16 years of high school success to Eustis, including a 257-77 career record and two FHSAA Class 4A state championships in 2021 and 2024. She also coached the Panthers to a state runner-up finish in 2017 and over 75 student athletes to secure opportunities in intercollegiate programs.
(Coach Beall is a two-time FHSAA Class 4A State Champion with Eustis High School.)
Her coaching philosophy—emphasizing academic achievement, personal growth, and athletic excellence—has already made a clear impact at FAMU and that is exactly the same philosophy that made her such an amazing coach at Eustis High School.
A standout player fueling the Rattlers’ success is former Eustis High School star Ciara Maple, a freshman who has been electric at the plate. Maple is batting .382 with 29 hits and 19 runs scored, establishing herself as one of the SWAC’s most dangerous hitters.
(Maple was an amazing high school player. Her freshman year at FAMU has been nothing short of spectacular.)
Maple brings leadership, consistency, and a competitive spirit that raises the level of everyone around her. She contributed heavily to Eustis High School’s state championship team last season.
Beall’s resume speaks volumes beyond wins and losses. She’s a two-time FHSAA state champion, was named Coach of the Year multiple times by organizations like Florida Dairy Farmers and Miracle Sports. Her experience includes national-level exposure, such as coaching the International Team Africa in 2024 and the Minority Prospects All-American team in 2023.
In addition to her success on the diamond, Beall spent over a decade building a powerhouse girls’ weightlifting program at Eustis, producing state qualifiers.
(Last year coach Beall stood with her family in a thank you ceremony at the Eustis Softball complex to thank her for all her years of hard work at Eustis High School.)
A former Auburn University softball standout herself, Beall earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from Belhaven College and a Bachelor of Science in Education of Exercise Science from Auburn. Her passion for mentoring student-athletes continues to shine through at every level and you can see why.
With Beall at the helm and players like Maple leading the charge, the Rattlers appear poised to make a serious push toward a SWAC title and an apperance in NCAA Softball Tournament.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
