University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Tony Walsh
Baldwin Announces Addition of Three Transfers for 2023 Season
July 01, 2022 | Softball
ATHENS, Ga. – University of Georgia head softball coach Tony Baldwin has announced the commitments of three transfers, set to appear in the Red & Black in 2023.
The Bulldogs add the talents of outfielder Dallis Goodnight (Dacula, Ga.; University of Alabama), catcher/utility Ally Kurland (Burke, Va.; Penn State University), and right-handed pitcher Shelby Walters (Cohutta, Ga., Duke University).
"We are thrilled to add Ally, Dallis, and Shelby to our team," Baldwin said. "We are very excited about what we have coming back along with the incoming freshman that will be joining us. As program, we are always going to look for opportunities to make our team stronger and these three women will do exactly that. Additionally, we are excited that two of the three are from the state of Georgia and are coming home to represent the G! We can't wait to get them in the mix this Fall and start building Team 27."
Dallis Goodnight | OF | Dacula, Ga. | Alabama | Mill Creek HS
In her freshman campaign at Alabama, Goodnight appeared in 55 games, starting 49 in centerfield. She hit .302 on the season with a .730 OPS in 139 at-bats. She scattered 42 hits and scored 33 runs. She drew 11 walks and recorded a .370 on-base clip. Goodnight led the Crimson Tide and finished eighth in the SEC with 18 stolen bases on 20 attempts as a rookie. She led off or hit second in the order 33 times.
Goodnight attended Mill Creek High School and played for the Georgia Impact. She was a top-five player in the 2021 class by Extra Inning Softball and FloSoftball including being the top-ranked outfielder by FloSoftball. She appeared in the 2021 PGF All-American game and was a 2019 PGF All-Tournament Team member, earning a runner-up finish. Twice, she was named the Gwinnett County Player of the Year.
She is the daughter of Carina and Keith Goodnight. She has two sisters Cailee and Addison. Her brother Braxton graduated from UGA in May.
Baldwin on Goodnight: "Dallis is a competitor. She will bring a mindset that fits in well with our team. She is someone that will make our offense and defense stronger, and we are excited to add her skills to our team."
Ally Kurland | C/UT | Burke, Va. | Penn State | Lake Braddock Secondary School
Kurland earned her degree from Penn State in Security and Risk Management in May and will transfer as a graduate to Georgia where she will pursue her masters' degree in International Policy. In her four-year career in State College, Kurland started 163 of 168 games she played in. She finished her time in a Penn State uniform with 27 home runs, 83 RBI, and 31 doubles. She finished fourth all-time in program history in home runs (27) and ninth in doubles (31).
As a senior in 2022, Kurland hit .303 and led Penn State with 16 home runs, 18 doubles, and 44 RBI. She slugged .674 with a .361 on-base clip. Her 18 doubles tied for the most in a single season in program history. Kurland was named Big Ten Player of the Week in early April after Penn State's sweep of Purdue, becoming the first Nittany Lion to win the award since Alyssa VanDerveer in 2015.
Kurland earned a spot on the 2021-22 CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 squad, registering a 3.54 GPA, becoming the first Nittany Lion to earn the honor in 11 years. She has earned multiple Academic All-Big Ten honors, named a 2020-21 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, and Easton All-America Scholar-Athlete.
The Burke, Virginia native helped Lake Braddock Secondary School to a Patriot Conference Championship in her first season and a regional championship as a senior, the team's first since 2002. She was named PGF Regional All-American in 2018 and earned first-team all-conference honors three times (2016-18) and was a two-time all-state performer.
Kurland is the daughter of Liz and Kevin Kurland and she has one brother, Ben.
Baldwin on Kurland: "Ally is an experienced left-hand hitter. She will add competition at a couple different positions in the lineup and we are excited about adding her lefty power to the mix."
Shelby Walters | RHP | Cohutta, Ga. | Duke | Girls Preparatory School
Walters transfers to Georgia after earning her undergraduate degrees from Duke in Evolutionary Anthropology & Biology. She will pursue a master's degree in Kinesiology at UGA. Walters was a four-year student-athlete at Duke where she made 73 appearances in the circle for the Blue Devils, accumulating a 31-18 record with a 2.28 ERA in 300 innings of work. She fanned 220 batters while wearing a Duke uniform.
Walters' 2022 season was cut short due to a foot injury, pitching less than 20 innings in six appearances. She had a breakout 2021 campaign when she earned Second Team NFCA All-Region, All-ACC First Team, and ACC All-Tournament Team honors. In 2021 she made 31 appearances with a team-best 24 starts in the circle, leading the Blue Devils pitching staff with a 1.28 ERA and 19 wins (19-3). She worked nine complete games through 147.2 innings with 87 strikeouts on the season. She tossed Duke's first-ever no-hitter in a five-inning game against NC Central on March 4.
Before the 2020 season cut short, Walters went 4-0 with a 1.94 ERA in 36 innings, tallying 30 strikeouts. During her rookie campaign, she appeared in 27 games, starting 14, concluding with a 3.92 ERA with five wins and fanned 87 batters.
Walters has been a top performer in the classroom as well, landing a spot on the All-ACC Academic Team in 2021 and has been on the ACC Honor Roll three times.
Prior to arriving in Durham, Walters led Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga to the TSSAA DII-AA State Championship in 2014 and runner-up finishes in 2015, 2017 and 2018. She concluded her prep career with 477 strikeouts and a 1.89 ERA with three perfect games to her name. At the plate, she finished her career slugging .549 with 21 homers. Her senior year was capped earning Best of Preps First Team, All-State, and Division II Region MVP honors. She played club for the Frost Falcons (2010-15) and Tennessee Fury Platinum (2015-18). The Falcons picked up three top-five finishes as ASA Nationals, including a third place showing in 2011.
She is the daughter of Shannon and John Walters and she has one brother, John.
Baldwin on Walters: "Shelby is an accomplished pitcher with a ton of experience. She comes from a successful program and knows what it takes to be successful at a high level. We are thrilled to have her join our pitching staff."
Goodnight, Kurland, and Walters are three members of an eight-member newcomer class in Athens in 2023 joining freshmen infielder/catcher Lauren Burnett, infielder Tyler Ellison, infielder Jaydyn Goodwin, right-handed pitcher Destin Howard, and catcher Marisa Miller.
The Bulldogs add the talents of outfielder Dallis Goodnight (Dacula, Ga.; University of Alabama), catcher/utility Ally Kurland (Burke, Va.; Penn State University), and right-handed pitcher Shelby Walters (Cohutta, Ga., Duke University).
"We are thrilled to add Ally, Dallis, and Shelby to our team," Baldwin said. "We are very excited about what we have coming back along with the incoming freshman that will be joining us. As program, we are always going to look for opportunities to make our team stronger and these three women will do exactly that. Additionally, we are excited that two of the three are from the state of Georgia and are coming home to represent the G! We can't wait to get them in the mix this Fall and start building Team 27."
Dallis Goodnight | OF | Dacula, Ga. | Alabama | Mill Creek HS
In her freshman campaign at Alabama, Goodnight appeared in 55 games, starting 49 in centerfield. She hit .302 on the season with a .730 OPS in 139 at-bats. She scattered 42 hits and scored 33 runs. She drew 11 walks and recorded a .370 on-base clip. Goodnight led the Crimson Tide and finished eighth in the SEC with 18 stolen bases on 20 attempts as a rookie. She led off or hit second in the order 33 times.
Goodnight attended Mill Creek High School and played for the Georgia Impact. She was a top-five player in the 2021 class by Extra Inning Softball and FloSoftball including being the top-ranked outfielder by FloSoftball. She appeared in the 2021 PGF All-American game and was a 2019 PGF All-Tournament Team member, earning a runner-up finish. Twice, she was named the Gwinnett County Player of the Year.
She is the daughter of Carina and Keith Goodnight. She has two sisters Cailee and Addison. Her brother Braxton graduated from UGA in May.
Baldwin on Goodnight: "Dallis is a competitor. She will bring a mindset that fits in well with our team. She is someone that will make our offense and defense stronger, and we are excited to add her skills to our team."
Ally Kurland | C/UT | Burke, Va. | Penn State | Lake Braddock Secondary School
Kurland earned her degree from Penn State in Security and Risk Management in May and will transfer as a graduate to Georgia where she will pursue her masters' degree in International Policy. In her four-year career in State College, Kurland started 163 of 168 games she played in. She finished her time in a Penn State uniform with 27 home runs, 83 RBI, and 31 doubles. She finished fourth all-time in program history in home runs (27) and ninth in doubles (31).
As a senior in 2022, Kurland hit .303 and led Penn State with 16 home runs, 18 doubles, and 44 RBI. She slugged .674 with a .361 on-base clip. Her 18 doubles tied for the most in a single season in program history. Kurland was named Big Ten Player of the Week in early April after Penn State's sweep of Purdue, becoming the first Nittany Lion to win the award since Alyssa VanDerveer in 2015.
Kurland earned a spot on the 2021-22 CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 squad, registering a 3.54 GPA, becoming the first Nittany Lion to earn the honor in 11 years. She has earned multiple Academic All-Big Ten honors, named a 2020-21 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, and Easton All-America Scholar-Athlete.
The Burke, Virginia native helped Lake Braddock Secondary School to a Patriot Conference Championship in her first season and a regional championship as a senior, the team's first since 2002. She was named PGF Regional All-American in 2018 and earned first-team all-conference honors three times (2016-18) and was a two-time all-state performer.
Kurland is the daughter of Liz and Kevin Kurland and she has one brother, Ben.
Baldwin on Kurland: "Ally is an experienced left-hand hitter. She will add competition at a couple different positions in the lineup and we are excited about adding her lefty power to the mix."
Shelby Walters | RHP | Cohutta, Ga. | Duke | Girls Preparatory School
Walters transfers to Georgia after earning her undergraduate degrees from Duke in Evolutionary Anthropology & Biology. She will pursue a master's degree in Kinesiology at UGA. Walters was a four-year student-athlete at Duke where she made 73 appearances in the circle for the Blue Devils, accumulating a 31-18 record with a 2.28 ERA in 300 innings of work. She fanned 220 batters while wearing a Duke uniform.
Walters' 2022 season was cut short due to a foot injury, pitching less than 20 innings in six appearances. She had a breakout 2021 campaign when she earned Second Team NFCA All-Region, All-ACC First Team, and ACC All-Tournament Team honors. In 2021 she made 31 appearances with a team-best 24 starts in the circle, leading the Blue Devils pitching staff with a 1.28 ERA and 19 wins (19-3). She worked nine complete games through 147.2 innings with 87 strikeouts on the season. She tossed Duke's first-ever no-hitter in a five-inning game against NC Central on March 4.
Before the 2020 season cut short, Walters went 4-0 with a 1.94 ERA in 36 innings, tallying 30 strikeouts. During her rookie campaign, she appeared in 27 games, starting 14, concluding with a 3.92 ERA with five wins and fanned 87 batters.
Walters has been a top performer in the classroom as well, landing a spot on the All-ACC Academic Team in 2021 and has been on the ACC Honor Roll three times.
Prior to arriving in Durham, Walters led Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga to the TSSAA DII-AA State Championship in 2014 and runner-up finishes in 2015, 2017 and 2018. She concluded her prep career with 477 strikeouts and a 1.89 ERA with three perfect games to her name. At the plate, she finished her career slugging .549 with 21 homers. Her senior year was capped earning Best of Preps First Team, All-State, and Division II Region MVP honors. She played club for the Frost Falcons (2010-15) and Tennessee Fury Platinum (2015-18). The Falcons picked up three top-five finishes as ASA Nationals, including a third place showing in 2011.
She is the daughter of Shannon and John Walters and she has one brother, John.
Baldwin on Walters: "Shelby is an accomplished pitcher with a ton of experience. She comes from a successful program and knows what it takes to be successful at a high level. We are thrilled to have her join our pitching staff."
Goodnight, Kurland, and Walters are three members of an eight-member newcomer class in Athens in 2023 joining freshmen infielder/catcher Lauren Burnett, infielder Tyler Ellison, infielder Jaydyn Goodwin, right-handed pitcher Destin Howard, and catcher Marisa Miller.
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