At Grapevine Faith, Josh Hamilton’s daughter leads breakthrough season
Texas Rangers legend Josh Hamilton waved around two dollar bills with a smile on his face Tuesday at Oak Grove Park.
It was a rare moment for him, as he had just won a bet with his daughter Michaela, a junior softball player at Grapevine Faith High School. She owes him every time she strikes out looking, which doesn’t happen too often.
Michaela hit .710 in district play as a sophomore and is now hitting .543 as a junior, helping lead the way for a rejuvenated Grapevine Faith program. On March 20, she announced her commitment to Northwestern State.
“I get more nervous watching her than I ever did playing,” Josh Hamilton said. “Just because you don’t have any control over it.”
Although she is thriving now, it wasn’t always clear Michaela Hamilton would play softball. She had a late start compared to most athletes, first trying the sport in seventh grade. She got cut from a team but tried again in eighth grade and started to learn and enjoy the game.
She realized softball was the activity she wanted to pour her heart and soul into.
“Basketball or baseball, softball, horseback riding, dance, art, whatever it is,” Josh Hamilton said. “You find something you’re passionate about, and I’ll support you 100%.”
Michaela committed to playing select ball, and that’s when she said things clicked.
“She started putting the work in, and seeing her from eighth grade in the summer to where she’s at now, she couldn’t have done that if she wasn’t all in,” Josh Hamilton said. ”I’m very proud of her, because she decided to have a hobby and have something she was excited about and wanted to put the work into.”
Putting fatherhood first
Michaela’s dad is a five time All-Star and an MLB MVP. That doesn’t mean, however, that he is always a hands-on coach. For the most part, he leaves most of the coaching to Grapevine Faith head coach Kenny Bruce.
Michaela said she receives practical advice from time to time, but for the most part, her dad just tells her to trust the work she has put into her craft.
“I’ve never experienced [pressure] from my dad,” Michaela said. “He’s always been just saying, ‘Go out and play, have fun. It’s a game.’”
Their dynamic is different than what most people would expect, according to Rachel Hamilton, Josh’s wife and Michaela’s stepmom. Josh gets to sit back, relax and focus on being a dad while enjoying the fleeting moments of high school ball before Michaela heads to college.
“He is dad through and through,” Rachel said. “He is not baseball crazy. He’s not softball crazy. Of course, he loves it. He really enjoys it. It’s a skill set he has, but he’s dad first and foremost. And I think that, more than anything, has helped [Michaela] be able to hear the wisdom he has and the experience he has, and be able to pass that on, because she knows come game time, Dad’s not sitting there coaching.
“Dad’s not sitting there analyzing everything. Dad is sitting there cheering me on.”
Josh Hamilton used to have a slightly more hands-on approach as Michaela learned the game. But halfway through last season, she was hitting over .700 and Josh Hamilton said he knew she didn’t need his help anymore. Her love of the game and drive to improve was coming purely from within.
“She started figuring out how to go and get the work done herself in the cage and off the tee and all the things she needed to do to get better and better,” Josh Hamilton said. “So, I’m kind of hands off now, until she calls me or asks me for help, and then we revisit for whatever she feels like she needs.”
Inside Grapevine Faith’s resurgence
After missing the playoff in 2025, the Lions are 15-3-1 and have a 4-0 record in TAPPS District 1 Division II. Their latest win was a 10-0 run-rule victory over Fort Worth Southwest Christian.
“Last season, we lost five of our main seniors from freshman year, and they were a big part of our culture,” Michaela said. “But I feel like this season, we’ve been able to kind of get back to how we were and really build back that culture that we had, especially because of our seniors we have and the freshmen moving in, and we’re just really close-knit and really tight.
“It’s going to be good. It’s going to be different this season.”
One of those freshman moving in is Jocelyn Monroe, who is making a difference from the circle. In 2025, the Lions lost a lot of high scoring games, but with Monroe’s consistent pitching success, the team is more well-rounded with an ability to win close, low scoring bouts.
“Our goal is to get to playoffs and get to state,” Michaela Hamilton said. “Mainly just make it last as long as we can for our seniors, because we don’t want to say goodbye to them.”
Lessons beyond the game
When asked about personality and hobbies, Michaela didn’t give the answer one would expect from a teenager. Her life revolves around softball, but it’s not what she takes the most pride in — she simply said she enjoys the process and working hard toward her goals.
“Michaela Hamilton thrives on structure, and she wants structure, and she wants discipline, and she wants high standards for all of us,” Bruce said. “She keeps kids in check, holds kids accountable where I’m not always having to be the one to do it. … Just the way she goes about her business makes everyone around her better.”
Michaela Hamilton credited her Grapevine Faith coaches for teaching her the value of hard work.
“They don’t just come to coach us as players, but as human beings,” she said. “They are preparing us for actual life, and it has made the biggest difference in our program.”
Bruce said that if coaches focus solely on the success of the season, they’re coaching for the wrong reasons. At the same time, buying into a strong culture built on dedication and effort will translate to results. It’s the same lesson that led Michaela from being cut to being a top talent in the area.
“This is about those kids living their life and understanding lessons from the sport they chose to play, and taking those lessons with them,” Bruce said. “Understanding that if you live every day with a high standard, and you go about your business with a high standard for yourself, it makes the valleys a lot easier to walk through.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
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