Kyleigh Payne is the head coach of the King University Tornado women’s softball program. She was named head coach in July 2022 after serving as an assistant coach for the Tornado the previous season. In her first season as head coach, Payne guided King to a Conference Carolinas regular season title and an NCAA Southeast Regional appearance.

Recent Seasons as Head Coach

• 2024: After an early-season slump, the Tornado rallied and qualified for the Conference Carolinas Tournament, falling in the opening round to Barton. King won the inaugural Conference Carolinas Northwest Division title. Tori Ryan earned First Team All-Conference Carolinas and Second Team NFCA All-Region honors.
• 2023: Led the Tornado to a 36–24 record, including a 16–6 mark in Conference Carolinas play. King claimed the regular season conference crown for the second straight year and advanced to the NCAA Southeast Regional for the second consecutive season. The 36 wins rank as the second-most in program history. Jessica Campbell set multiple single-season school records and became the second Tornado to earn NFCA and D2CCA All-America honors (first-team D2CCA). Madison Walter earned All-Region honors from both the NFCA and D2CCA and tossed the second seven-inning no-hitter in program history
• During her tenure as head coach, King has produced 1 NFCA All-American, 1 D2CCA All-American, 2 D2CCA All-Southeast Region selections, 3 NFCA All-Southeast Region selections, 5 All-Conference Carolinas selections, and numerous academic honors. The Tornado have also secured multiple Conference Carolinas Players and Pitchers of the Week awards. As Assistant Coach (2022)
• Payne helped guide King to Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament titles. The Tornado set numerous school records, including 42 wins, and qualified for the NCAA Southeast Regional for the third time in program history. Rikkelle Miller became the first Tornado to earn NFCA and D2CCA All-America honors.

Pre-King Coaching Experience

Payne came to King after spending two years as a graduate assistant coach at Lincoln Memorial University. There, she helped the Railsplitters post a 54–13 record, win the South Atlantic Conference regular season title, and finish as Southeast Regional runner-up in 2021. She served as academic liaison, first base coach, and was heavily involved in recruiting.

Prior to Lincoln Memorial, she served as a graduate assistant at Wheeling University. Her coaching career began during her playing days as a clinic director for Triple Crown Sports and through various hitting and fielding camps (2017–19).

Playing Career and Education

Payne played two years at Purdue University Northwest, where she earned third-team NFCA All-America honors as a first baseman, two-time first-team All-Region honors, and 2018 Conference Player of the Year. Earlier, she helped Kankakee Community College win a NJCAA national championship in 2015 and earned first-team All-Region and second-team All-America honors in 2016.

Payne graduated from Purdue University Northwest in 2018 with a degree in sociology and earned her Master of Business Administration from Lincoln Memorial University in 2021.

Payne has a strong track record of player development, academic success, and building championship-level softball programs at King University.