FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (BVM)‌ ‌–‌ ‌‌Losing a parent is never easy, but losing your mother right before recruiting season for sports is unthinkable. This is what Rikkelle Miller had to go through during the peak of her athletic career. 

Rikkelle Miller was a tri-sport athlete in high school, excelling in track and field as a discus and shot put thrower, in basketball as a small forward and in softball as a catcher. 

Although there were many opportunities for her in each sport, she saw the best opportunities for her in softball, so she decided to continue playing on the collegiate level. 

“I have always loved the game and just the feeling of winning with a team by my side!” Miller said.

Once Miller selected the sport that she wanted to play in college, it was time to start looking for schools to attend, however, her mother passed away during this time, making it hard to grieve and stay focused on recruitment at the same time. 

This time of turmoil paired with not knowing the ins and outs of recruitment  set Miller a year behind. She did not know how to further expose herself so that more schools were aware of her talent.

When reflecting on her recruitment experience, Miller said, “It definitely was not what I expected. I expected more attention than I got and I deserved it, but through each step I just got more knowledge.”

Miller plans to use this knowledge that she has gained about recruitment to better a 10-and-under softball team that she helps coach so that when it’s their time for recruitment, it gets done smoothly.

Towards the end of high school, Miller also created a clothing company called G.O.A.T., which stands for God Over All Things. She created this company because she loves making new things and enjoys people showing off her creative works. 

Creating the clothes for her company was not only for fun, but it also taught her a lesson that she uses on and off the field: it teaches her patience, which she has learned that she definitely needs in life.

Miller finally found a school to attend and further her athletic career at, however, in hindsight, she realized that this school, Grambling University in Louisiana, was not the right fit for her after all.

“Straight out of high school, I should have went to a junior college.” Miller said. “It was the best option for me athletically and financially, but I chose Grambling because it was a smaller campus and they were a Division 1 school.” 

Division 1 schools are many athletes’ first choice because those are the most notable schools for sports; the ones that are most frequently covered in news and sports television and media.

Miller was one of these athletes who dreamed of going to a Division 1 college, she said, “What kid out of high school doesn’t want to go Division 1 when you get the opportunity?”

Things changed when the coach that recruited Miller got fired a month before she arrived on campus. This changed the whole dynamic of Miller’s expectations of the school. 

“I always had love for Grambling but I never felt that it was my home,” Miller said. “That is a huge part in being an athlete.”

The new coaching staff didn’t turn out to be so bad in the end because Miller learned valuable life lessons from them. 

“I must say that I was truly blessed once I met the new coaching staff at Grambling because they were professional and it taught me how to carry myself with my head held high,” said Miller.

Grambling University was a breeze on the academic side for Miller. Even though she didn’t care much for academics, she knew she had to keep her grades up in order to continue playing softball at the school. 

Miller said, “My dad instilled in me early that you have to handle your needs before your wants.”

Miller decided that her journey at Grambling University had come to an end and it was time to move on to better things for herself. She wanted to experience a new atmosphere and play professionally. She believed that her transfer would lead to better opportunities in softball. Although Miller’s transfer to King University was bittersweet, it was time for her to move on to a better fit that concurred with her plans for the future. 

“King was the best choice out of all the schools that reached out to me while I was inside the transfer portal,” Miller said. “He [the coach at King] was the first coach to contact me in the transfer portal. The environment in Bristol is better and there are better opportunities for me after college.”  

Looking back on her recruiting and transfer experiences, when asked what advice she has for other aspiring softball players, Miller said, “I would tell them to just be them wherever they are and to not allow environments to impact their futures. Push through everything.”

Although Miller went through a lot to get where she is today, her late mother left her with some inspiration that helps her push through the hard times and struggles that she faces throughout her life. 

Miller said her mother would tell her, “Always be humble no matter what is going on in life. Whether you’re up big or down bad, remain yourself and respect others!” “The best inspiration there is,” Miller said.

A fan?

Follow your favorite teams