HEMPSTEAD, NY — Sometimes on hot, steamy Savannah summer nights, Alex Brown says she drives by the Paulson Softball Complex and thinks about stopping.
“I wonder if they would let me play,” she joked during a recent phone interview, pondering a future far down the road with the sport so close to her heart.
Brown, 22, isn’t ready for the amateurs just yet. The former South Effingham standout’s illustrious collegiate softball career — two years at North Carolina and the last two years at Clemson — ended only a few weeks ago. The next time Brown stepped into the batter’s box, she was playing with the New York Rise, a professional fast-pitch softball team that will compete this summer in the Fastpitch United Pro Series.
She debuted last Wednesday, June 11, with games in Kansas City. The Rise will play its home games at Hofstra University in Hempstead, just outside New York City.
“I’m just excited for the opportunity to keep doing something I love,” Brown said. “And I’m getting paid.”
Making a mark at Clemson
It’s hard not to be excited for her. She mixes a friendly, peppy personality with humor and sincerity — all traits fans saw develop as a shy Mustang turned into a confident thoroughbred.
Brown earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference softball honors three times — twice named second-team all-conference and this spring named to the first team. As a senior, she started all 62 games, played mostly at third base and posted a .413 batting average — second best in school history.
She set Clemson records with 41 walks and 70 runs scored. Three times, she had four hits in a game.
In a three-game conference series against Syracuse, Brown went 10-for-10 and earned the ACC Player of the Week award on March 25.
As a leadoff hitter, Brown helped lead the Tigers to their first ACC Championship. They rallied for eight runs in the sixth inning to beat Virginia Tech 10-9 in the semifinals, then scored two runs in the seventh for a 2-1 win over Florida State in the final.
“We had a tough schedule. We started 3-6 and early on we knew we had to play better,” Brown said. “To turn that around was amazing.”
Clemson, still a young program in just its sixth season, nearly advanced to the Women’s College World Series. The Tigers upset eventual national champion Texas in the opening game of the Super Regional before the Longhorns rallied to win the next two games, including one in extra innings.
“There’s some mixed emotions about how I feel. We were that close to beating the team that won the championship,” Brown said. “It’s more motivation for the girls next year. It gives them proof that we’re right there. The program is headed in the right direction.”

Chasing opportunity — and creating it
Brown transferred to Clemson after two years at North Carolina, where she hit .399 as a sophomore. She made the move after longtime Tar Heels coach Donna Papa, who had recruited her, retired.
The rising Clemson program and veteran head coach John Rittman — who won 750 games in 18 seasons at Stanford — provided a perfect fit.
“Accomplishing things (in the program) for the first time, that made Clemson so special,” Brown said.
This season included a sweet twist: The Tigers took two of three games against Rittman’s old Stanford program, a recent Women’s College World Series regular.
And on April 18, Brown experienced a personal full-circle moment — facing her former South Effingham teammate, Boston College freshman pitcher Bailey Kendziorski.
“I was proud of Bailey because she was starting and doing well,” Brown said, downplaying her own 4-for-4 day with three hits off her former teammate in Clemson’s 8-4 win.
Giving back to the game and her community
Brown, who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in athletic leadership, hopes to pursue a master’s degree in business. She plans to work as a graduate assistant while continuing her pro softball career in the summers.
She said she still feels connected to her roots in South Effingham and wants to give back when possible.
“Coach (Adam) Newland reaches out to me to work camps and talk to the girls. It’s definitely something I want to do if I can do it,” Brown said. “South Effingham was a big step in my journey. If I can (be successful), it gives others a vision.”
For now, the adult-league slow-pitch games at Paulson will have to wait. Brown has bigger things ahead — and she’s swinging for more than just the fences.