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A familiar face to the green and gold will be leading the Lady Irish, as Emily Barrs has been named Dublin High School’s next Head Softball Coach.  

     “Coach Barrs is an excellent choice for Dublin High School,” said Principal Michael Overstreet.  “She brings a tremendous amount of experience and has the ideal skill set needed to rebuild our softball program.  And, most importantly, she already has great relationships with our girls.” 

     A member of the Fighting Irish Family since 2022, Barrs began her educational career in 2019, teaching history at Central Freshman Academy in Phenix City, Alabama.  While there, she was also the head flag football coach - starting the program in 2021 - and served as the assistant softball coach.

   She currently teaches history at Dublin High School and is a Dublin City Schools bus driver.  She also has served as Dublin’s Assistant Softball Coach and Head Girls Tennis Coach since 2022. For the latter, her team made it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2023 and the first round of playoffs in 2024. 

    When asked what she’s most looking forward to, Barrs said the move to Softball Head Coach means she’ll be able to continue to build relationships with her players. 

     “I’ve already been with the girls for two years.  So, I have a good idea of their strengths and weaknesses,” she said.  “Because of this, it will give us a leg up on what we need to do this year to be more successful against region competitors.” 

     With softball in her blood, the Wrightsville native is a West Laurens High School graduate who had the opportunity to play at the next level - attending LaGrange College for both her undergraduate and master’s degrees.  As a Panther, Barrs received USA South Academic All-Conference Honors three times as well as USA South West Division First Team Honors in 2017 and 2018.  Following a torn ACL during the 2016 season, Barrs received the college’s Eagle Award which is given to the student-athlete who has overcome adversity and excelled as a student, as an athlete and in the community.  She also received LaGrange College’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 2017 and 2018.  In addition to leading the USA South Conference in slugging percentages during the 2017 season, Barrs remains as LaGrange College’s record holder for slugging percentage in a single season. 

         As a member of the 2015 USA South Conference Championship Team, Barrs is no stranger to winning games.  However, she stresses that her ultimate goal is for her student-athletes to graduate with a skill set that can take them far in life. 

     “Yes, we want to build a successful team that wins games,” she said.  “But, most importantly, sports can be a great way for the girls to develop life skills.  I want them to learn about hard work, teamwork and the right way to work through adversity.” 

     Barrs is married to Amber, a consultant at GovStrive in Dublin.  In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, working on the farm with her cows, hunting and fishing.  She is also currently completing her specialist degree at Kennesaw State University for Middle and Secondary Education with a concentration in Social Studies. 

     Fighting Irish Family, join us in congratulating Coach Emily Barrs.  With her wealth of experience, dedication, and passion for her new role, we eagerly anticipate a bright future ahead for the Lady Irish Softball Program!