TikTok Trend Exposes Ugly Side of College Softball

Ellis spent the first two years of college career playing for Mickey Dean at Auburn. She didn't hold back as she displayed her awards while calling out her old coach for "treating her like a dog."

"Hey!!! To the people who are saying coaches are only nasty to bench players with bad stats, I was treated like a dog at my last school! Hope this clears things up."

"Also, if nothing bad ever happened to you, great," Ellis added. "This trend is for those who suffered under abusive coaches to share their stories and make a difference in the softball community. Abuse of power in our sport shouldn't be tolerated, and those with voices should not be silenced. Thanks!!!"

Dean spent seven seasons at Auburn and retired from coaching at the end of the 2024 season.

Current Texas A&M outfielder Kramer Eschete also participated in the trend. Although her post is less detailed, she was clearly unhappy with how Gerry Glasco, who has since moved to Texas Tech, coached her at Louisiana.

"ur so funny," Eschete wrote, "thanks, i got yelled at every day at practice."

"Thank god for the portal," the outfielder added.

Lexi Kump, who played at Western Illinois and Northwest Missouri State, played for four different coaching staffs and had a couple of insane stories to tell.

"One time, I had a staph infection on my foot, and I was advised to travel and play in a tournament that weekend. I had to wake up to take my temperature every four hours, make sure I wasn't running a fever because if I was, that would mean the infection spread, and I would have to be rushed to the ER," Kump said. "One time, I was telling my trainers for weeks that foot hurt so bad, and they put tape on my ankle and told me I was making it up and made me keep running. I literally ripped a tendon and my foot in half, and had to be in a boot for a month. I could not walk."

Kump's video continues with several more examples.

While it's hard to only write about the ugly side of college softball, this trend highlights horrific experiences.

However, there are some players who chimed in to set a good experience. For example, former Florida State catcher Michaela Edenfield couldn't help but brag about her career in Tallahassee.

"Me seeing all of the 'you're so funny' softball tell all trend," the current AUSL star wrote. "I'm very happy to be surrounded by some of the best people and coaches!"

The trend is startling, but in a sport where student-athletes are afraid to speak up about abuse out of fear of retaliation, the social media outlet has given student-athletes a platform to unload any trauma they experienced while warning recruits to do their research before committing.