Insight from Grayson Radcliffe’s Unique Role in Softball’s Growth
The rapid growth of professional softball has created new opportunities for players to keep competing after college, but it has also highlighted something unique and specific to the sport. Playing pro and coaching college.
Many of the athletes helping push professional softball forward are doing so while still coaching, recruiting, and developing players at the college level, and Florida Vibe veteran Grayson Radcliffe is one of them.
Radcliffe has been with the Vibe since the very beginning of the organization, watching it grow from an independent concept into a full blown professional team now set to compete as part of the Professional Softball League. At the same time, she continues to coach at NC State, staying fully involved in recruiting and player development while still playing professionally during the summer.
For Radcliffe, those two worlds are deeply connected. What also helps is the model of professional softball that she is able to play in.
“For all of us to get to still live out our dream of playing professionally and then get to turn around and go do our jobs as well at the same time, that was something that was really special,” Radcliffe said. “Because it’s really hard to do that and it’s hard to balance both. And so Ryan giving us the opportunity to be able to do both is huge.”
That balance becomes most visible during the summer months, when professional games overlap with travel ball tournaments, recruiting periods, and college camps. The Vibe amongst other teams such as the New York Rise and Kansas City Diamonds, purposely play at some major travel events. That helps out the sport across the board, and is also smart in the ticket sales department.
Radcliffe described how that played out in places like Kansas City and Colorado, where pro games and major travel tournaments were happening simultaneously.
“We were all trying to coordinate in the mornings of, okay, who’s going to ride with who, what fields are you going to,” she said. “It was just kind of fun, packing your uniform in the morning and then getting ready to play in the afternoon.”
Those environments allow players to compete at a high level while staying connected to the recruiting landscape. They also give young athletes a chance to see professional softball up close, often right next to the fields where they are competing themselves.
That accessibility is something that I personally believe is a strength of the sport. It shows people that even though they are professionals, they are not too big or think too much of themselves to be amongst the people.
“When people know you and when you pour into them, it goes a long ways,” she said. “It’s been really cool to see little girls in the stands, and then it’s cool to kind of see it full circle. Girls that I gave lessons to growing up, girls that were at IU games, girls that come to camp at NC State, and of all levels.”
That full circle connection extends beyond fans and into the professional locker room itself.
Last summer, Radcliffe shared that eight players on the Vibe roster were college coaches, representing programs across the country.
“There were eight people on my team last year that coached in college,” she said. “LSU, Troy, Nevada, Western Kentucky, Michigan. We covered such a broad spectrum.”
That mix of backgrounds created a unique professional environment, one built on experience, leadership, and a shared understanding of the college game.
As professional softball continues to grow through new leagues, expanded opportunities, and increased visibility, the structure of the sport will continue to evolve. When things evolve, and hopefully they will someday for professional softball, some unique things such as this may change.
Just think if professional softball ever reaches a point where players can live solely off their playing salary, seasons could look very different, and this unique structure may eventually change.
For now until then, these moments should be cherished and not taken for granted. Whether you are a player or fan, the model that this league plays in works in my opinion for everyone across the sport.
For fans, the overlap between professional, college, and travel softball creates access and familiarity. For players, it provides a pathway to stay active, visible, and connected to the game beyond graduation. For the sport itself, it creates leaders who are invested at every level. What other sport on this planet do you truly get that?
Playing pro and coaching college softball at the same time is not easy. For Grayson Radcliffe and many others in the game, that balance is helping move softball forward in a way that feels authentic, sustainable, and deeply rooted in the sport’s culture.
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