Grace Green - Champions for Him

Looking towards the Women’s College World Series Championship against Texas, the Oklahoma Sooners softball team has put together one of the most dominant years in sports history. They have become one of the top teams ever, and they have been carried by veteran leadership felt throughout the program. One of those leaders, Grace Green, has made an impact every year since coming to Oklahoma. With the chance to bring home another championship, she says she hopes to do it with God as her guide.

Growing up, Grace’s talents on the field were always evident. After dominating throughout her high school career in California, she would garner interest from UCLA, Cal, Oregon, and Washington. Grace also has always made faith a priority, which she says has been a part of her life since she was young.

“I grew up in a family that made faith very important from a very young age. My father was a huge reason that I learned what I did about the Bible and about Jesus. He is also a professional team roper and did rodeo for a living so he knew that once you find Christ, your identity should solely be in Him and he taught me that whatever sport, or job, or role you have is not who you are, it is just what you do. Your identity is in Christ.”

After committing to Oklahoma, Grace instantly made an impact, starting in 61 games her freshman season. Throughout the course of her career, Grace says she always makes sure that playing for Him is the goal.

“I think sports, in general, are a great way to implement faith into your life. You’re going to have trials and you’re going to be tested, so you can use stories from the Bible to help motivate you, but the biggest thing that my faith does for me when it comes to my softball career reminds me that I am so much more than a softball player.”

Knowing this has taken the pressure off Grace, who says she takes the field with joy getting to play the game he loves with the people she loves.

“Knowing that helps me realize that the most important thing I can do while using my sport as a platform and the talents and abilities that God gave me is to glorify God and love on others the way that He loves us.”

In a sport like softball, where ups and downs find every athlete regardless of skills, Grace says that with her platform, she hopes to inspire others to find their worth beyond the field.

“The biggest impact I hope to have whole playing softball is to help people understand that your performance doesn’t define you. Christ does. I want people to see me show love to others and know that as Christians, we are supposed to love everyone as God loves us.”

Grace says she hopes to use every opportunity she has and the skills she’s been given to glorify Him.

“I want to be able to share God’s word and help be a vessel for Christ through the talents and abilities He had given me.”

As the Sooners prepare for the finish of their year, looking to be crowned champions, they find their worth is something far greater than the game. United by faith and with an unbreakable bond with each other, Grace hopes to help lead the Sooners to a chance to witness to others. Regardless of the outcome, Grace is so proud of what the team has accomplished and hopes that they can use this game and platform to glorify Him.