PRESS RELEASE:  JUNE 17, 2026

Vikings welcome Lee Kuyrkendall as new softball coach

St. Johns River State College welcomes Lee Kuyrkendall “Coach K” as the Vikings’ next softball coach.

Kuyrkendall, 57, brings a wealth of experience to the Vikings. Over a standout nine-year tenure with the Royse City Independent School District, Coach K transformed the softball program into a Texas 6A powerhouse with an impressive 202-75 record. Under his leadership, Royse City secured seven top-20 state rankings, including top-10 finishes in four of his final six seasons. His track record for developing elite talent is highlighted by coaching a First-Team All-American in both 2021 and 2023.

Lee Kuyrkendall

More recently Coach K was the assistant softball coach at the University of Texas at Tyler, before leaving this summer to coach for SJR State. At UT Tyler, the team finished 42-14 in 2026 and received an at large bid to the NCAA South Central Regional.

His community college experience includes seven years as the head baseball coach at Southwest Community College, where he maintained a 90% placement rate of student-athletes advancing to four-year institutions or professional baseball opportunities. Coach K also spent six years in Florida coaching the North Florida Community College baseball team, leading the program to a school record 38-18 and the highest national finish in program history within the Florida Panhandle Conference.

Additional university level experience includes seven years at Mississippi College as the head baseball coach, where he elevated the program into one of the American Southwest Conferences’ top competitors, earning an NCAA Regional hosting opportunity for the first time in school history.

Kuyrkendall said he was honored to be named the next head coach of the softball program. “Thank you to Athletic Director Ross Jones and President Joe Pickens for giving me the opportunity to lead this program, and to continue to put the type of student-athletes on the field, in the classroom and in the community that will make SJR State proud,” he said. “Go Vikings!”

SJR State athletic director Ross Jones said Kuyrkendall is a great fit for the College and the Palatka community. “He possesses all the qualities that we were looking for in a head coach and are positive he will continue the excellence on and off the field that we are accustomed to by our softball program,” Jones said.

SJR State President Joe Pickens welcomes Coach K to the Viking family. “Lee Kuyrkendall brings an impressive range of experience to SJR State with success as a softball and baseball coach on four-year and junior college level,” Pickens said. “We are excited to see him bring his proven track record to the College and continue the team’s standard of excellence.”