One of the most un-hittable pitchers in American softball history, Betty Evans Grayson (October 9, 1925 – July 9, 1979) was another legend of Erv Lind's dynasty.
Betty Evans began playing the game at age 13 and attended Franklin High School in Portland. She was another local high school kid who signed with the Florists while still in school. Evans was originally an outfielder; Erv Lind saw her as a pitcher. Soon enough, she was the ace in the circle during the mid-1940s. Evan's nickname was "Bullet Betty". Her first of six national tournament appearances was at age 18 in 1943. The Florists finished second in the country. The next year, Betty threw four no-hitters and Lind and Pomeroy won their first national title. The Oregon Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association named her "Woman of the Year".
Although Evans, who took the name Grayson after marriage to City Commissioner Mark Grayson, started as an outfielder with the Lind and Pomeroy Florists team, coach Erv Lind quickly turned her into a pitcher and she led the team to the 1943 ASA National Tournament prior to her senior year at Portland’s Franklin High. The following summer the team won the tournament with five consecutive shutouts.
Betty Evans became Betty Evans Grayson when she married Portland city commissioner Mark Grayson. She worked in the city's licensing bureau while continuing her softball career. Her final numbers for softball were 456 wins including 51 no-hitters and three perfect games.
Grayson took a swing at pro baseball, playing for the Chicago Queens of the National Girls Baseball League for three seasons before returning to Portland. This was an underhand hardball pitching league that rivaled the more widely-know All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
The ASA Oregon region presents the Betty Evans Grayson Memorial Award for athletic, academic and community involvement to a player 16-and-under every two years. Grayson was the third woman inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame in 1959 and is also a member of the PIL Hall of Fame.