The American Collegiate League (ACL) has announced its 2025 Hall of Fame Class with Taylor Gilmore and Kyle Gross to be enshrined at the ACL Hall of Fame Ceremony in Bradenton, Fla. on June 12, 2025.

“In the second year of the American Collegiate League Hall of Fame,” ACL President Ryan Moore said at the NFCA Convention this week, “the 2025 class represents what the ACL is all about!”

The American Collegiate League, established in 2022, is the national body governing four regional collegiate summer leagues and markets itself as “the premier summer choice of collegiate programs and coaches.”

Here are the four regional leagues and where each is located:

• Florida Gulf Coast League (Bradenton & Sarasota, Fla.)
• Scenic City Collegiate League (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
• Golden Bay Collegiate League (Mission Viejo, Calif.)
• Lone Star State Collegiate League (Austin, Texas)

The ACL is the first for-profit collegiate league focused on competitive collegiate softball summer play, player development, player experience and the growth of the overall game. The regional leagues compete annually in mid-June with four weeks of action and up to 25 games including playoffs and an All-Star event. 

College coaches on the Advisory Council include Lonni Alameda (Florida State), Kenny Gajewski (Oregon State), Lindsay Leftwich (North Carolina State), Missy Lombardi (Oregon), Kyle Gross (Hillsdale) and Michaela Transue (Binghamton).

*** Click HERE to go to the American Collegiate League website ***

Here is more on each of the 2025 ACL Hall of Fame inductees…

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Taylor Gilmore

Taylor wrapped up a stellar college career in 2024 at Fresno State by being named the 2024 Mountain West Pitcher of the Year as she went 19-5 with a 2.53 ERA.

In July, she was named as an assistant coach at San Jose State.

During her collegiate career, which started off at Colorado State, Gilmore was a player for the SUA Pioneers in 2020 and ’21, was an assistant coach on the Pioneers (’23) as well as on the Skeeters (’22, ’23) and was the General Manger in the Golden Bay Collegiate League (GBCL) in 2024. She was also the head coach of the Duck-Town Quacks and won the league championship last summer..

“Taylor was with us from the very beginning in 2020 for the inaugural Florida Gulf Coast League (FGCL) season and never looked back, being a player, coach and league administrator each year since,” Moore explained.

“We’re super proud of Taylor and her contribution to the game and the ACL!”

Interestingly, one of last year’s ACL Hall of Fame inductees, Erica Beach, has had a big influence on Gilmore’s growth already.

“Erica was my coach my first summer in the Florida Gulf Coast League,” Taylor explains. “She helped me love the game of softball again and she is one of the reasons I became a coach.”

The former player turned coach loves the sport and the Hall of Fame honor is another motivating factor for Taylor to inspire others.

“Being inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame means the world to me and that is an understatement!” she laughs.

“Not only did the league give me the opportunity to play the sport that I love, but it also gave me the ability to grow the game of softball for future generations of women. I am honored to have been a part of such a special organization like the ACL.

“When I found out I was being inducted into the Hall of Fame, many things were running through my mind, but I guess the main takeaway I have is the feeling of gratitude for the people who have bought in from the very start.”

“I think what makes this special is the people like her, people like Ryan (Moore), who are buying into softball and buying into growing the game for women to be able to have similar experiences to mine. I am honored to be looked at as one of those individuals and I what to thank everybody who helped me along this journey.”

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Kyle Gross

Kyle is the head coach at Hillsdale College, a Division II program in Michigan, where he’s been for the last five years after previous on-field coaching stints at Presbyterian College and Kent State.

In 2024, the Chargers went 34-14 overall and 20-4 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference to finish in the top two for the fourth consecutive year (and also the fourth straight season with 30-plus wins).

Before becoming a full-time coach at the college level, Gross was a Newark, Ohio police officer for 15 years. His daughter, Kylie,is an assistant softball coach at Kent State where he once coached. Kyle also compiled six years of coaching at the travel ball level with the Cincy Doom and Heath Crush club programs.

With the ACL for the last two years, Gross was the head coach of the Lakewood Ranch Rodeo in 2022 and ’23, winning the Florida Gulf Coast League Championship in ‘22.

“Kyle, as a coach and mentor, guided his team to a super championship season two years ago and also has been an umpire as needed–that’s how dedicated he is to make this work” Moore adds.

Gross admits he had a physical reaction when told by Pres. Moore that he would be one of the inductees in the second year of the Hall of Fame inductions.

“To now be inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame is unbelievable and amazing,” he begins. “It is hard to explain how it felt, getting the news from Ryan, it was both humbling and exciting. I actually had goosebumps as he explained why I am receiving such an honor!”

Coming full circle as a Hall of Fame member after help coach in the beginning days of the ACL, Kyle says he has been on board with the league’s direction from the start.

“Being inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame means so much to me,” he continues humbly.

“I was excited just to be given the chance to coach in the league and be a part of it! From the time I met Ryan and learned what the ACL and the FGCL was all about, I just wanted to get involved and support it anyway I could.”

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball