There have been many father-daughter dynamic duos through history: Lenny and Zoe, Lionel and Nicole, Francis Ford and Sofia, Ron and Bryce Dallas, Nat King and Natalie, and, fictionally, Atticus and Scout.
At WVU Potomac State College, the athletic department has its own dynamic duo linked by paternal genetics. Head Softball Coach Chris Greise and his daughter, Assistant Coach Chloe Greise. Not only are these two a father-daughter collaboration, but their built-in relationship and familial chemistry have created a winning and determined atmosphere among the team and have inspired continued success on the diamond.
A former standout athlete, Chloe Greise graduated from PSC in 2025. Her athletic record and prowess earned her an interview with the coaching staff when an opening presented itself. So as not to be misinterpreted as a “nepo baby,” she said she entered the interview for her current position as assistant coach with an open mind and a professional attitude. She asked the committee to consider her playing merit and not her family tree.
As an athlete, her record was stellar. As an applicant for the job, she was ideal.
“We hired Chloe because she is an NJCAA All-American and has 437 career strikeouts,” said Noah Klingler, Assistant Athletic Director. “You would be hard-pressed to find someone with that kind of record on a coaching staff. She pretty quickly adapted to her new role.”
And maybe that is for a good reason. Chris Greise has been coaching his daughter through rec ball, middle school, high school at Bishop Walsh in Cumberland, and travel ball. And he was also her coach when she attended Potomac State College.
“Dad and I bonded over softball,” Chloe Greise said. “Softball for me was easy compared to other sports I tried like volleyball. My brother was a little league football player and for a while, I was a cheerleader for his team. My graduating class at Bishop Walsh was the last year of the girls’ softball team.”
“Dad has coached me since high school,” she said. “My Mom was actually my first coach, and then Dad has been my coach since the age of nine until now, and I’m 20 now. He has never been my dad when we are on the field.”
When the girls’ softball team at Bishop Walsh was temporarily phased out, until such time as it can be revived, Chris Greise interviewed for and then accepted the job as Head Women’s Softball Coach at WVU Potomac State. His first year of collegiate coaching was Chloe Greise’s sophomore year on the team.
She said she ended her high school playing career with offers to play at several other schools. She chose Potomac State because of the proximity to home, the chance to play softball right out of the gate as a freshman, and the education she could receive.
“When I am on the field, I am his player, and now his coworker,” she said. “We have figured out how to make the relationship balance work over the years.”
“Growing up, Chloe was always into something, whether it was her commitment to softball, fishing, swimming, and hunting,” Chris Greise said. “She loves the outdoors. Chloe is a very determined athlete that understands unseen work is when you make your gains.”
As her coach in the past, he said he did have more than a few proud “Dad” moments when he took his coaching hat off to acknowledge the accomplishments of his athletic offspring.
“I am always proud of what she’s accomplished on and off the field,” he said. “From her homeruns to her game-winning strikeouts, her Player of the Month and All-Region honors. As well as being an NJCAA All-American, which qualifies her as a top 39 in the country talent. Not to mention all the pitching records she set here at Potomac State.”
“There are moments on the field where he has been just Dad,” Chloe Greise admitted. “I remember when I broke the pitching record, I could hear him yelling louder than anyone else.”
However, Chris Greise said he made it clear to his daughter years ago that when the two are on the field, he is her coach and not her father. And now, working together, that policy continues to hold.
“We had a talk many years ago that on the field I’m her coach and off the field I’m her dad,” he said. “Now, coach-to-coach, we know what the goal and philosophies are without communicating verbally. She was a great hire with the resume and the work ethic to prove it.”
Chloe Greise does admit that she and her father have a shorthand language and can finish each other’s sentences. And she does have a knack for predicting his strategy on the field.
“I know I can joke around with him as his daughter, but on the field, I am the assistant coach, and I work for him. We never clash on the field,” she said. “We have similar coaching styles. We both like to stack the ball.”
She said even when she played for her father, she was never singled out for better or for worse. “He doesn’t believe in favoritism,” she said. “He likes to make practices fun but still be stern and serious about it. I like his coaching style. I enjoy playing and now working for him because, as a coach, he knows what is going to happen before it happens. He is a man who plays his cards right.”
What about his coaching style that influences her the most? “He likes to get back to the fundamentals,” she said. “He likes repetition. And he likes giving back to the community, which I think is also a sign of being a good coach. He always encourages the players to get involved both on and off campus.”
What do the father and daughter duo talk about when they are carpooling to campus for a game? “We talk about softball,” she said. “We talk about other things too, but we talk a lot about softball.”
She said the one thing that constantly surprises her the most about her father is his complete embrace of using social media to promote the program. “He loves to do things on social media,” she said. “Dad likes promoting the team and sharing behind-the-scenes moments of collegiate softball.”
The Greises make an impressive partnership. They are father and daughter before and after the game, but during a competition, their professionalism and respect for each other are evident.
“They do a great job of knowing when to turn that off and when to turn it back on as coaches,” said Klingler. “They both inspire each other. That’s a rare skill to have as coaches. They have a dynamic between them that focuses on development, discipline, and integrity. They definitely help each other, and together, they make the team the very best it can be.”