University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Conor Dillon/UGAAA
Roundup of Georgia Softball Preseason Team, Player Rankings
January 30, 2025 | Softball
ATHENS, Ga. – The 2025 season will be the 29th of Georgia Softball in Athens and the fourth under the direction of head coach Tony Baldwin.
The Bulldogs are ranked in all four preseason top 25 polls with several individual student-athletes being recognized on preseason player rankings and watch lists.
Georgia will open the season ranked No. 12 in NFCA/GoRout Top 25 Coaches Poll and No. 14 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Georgia is ranked No. 15 in the D1Softball poll and No. 17 in the Softball America poll.
Georgia was picked eighth in the 2025 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll. Conference play will start on Friday, March 7. The 2025 SEC Softball Tournament is scheduled for May 6-10 at Jack Turner Softball Stadium in Athens.
Senior left-handed pitcher Lilli Backes was named to the watch list for the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. Backes is one of 53 players on the watch list for the award. The Southeastern Conference leads all athletic conferences with 23 representatives on the watch list.
Backes was ranked on a pair of top-100 preseason player lists: No. 57 on Softball America's Top 100 Preseason Player Rankings and No. 56 on D1Softball's D100 Preseason Player Rankings. Dallis Goodnight landed No. 91 on Softball America's list.
Backes (No. 13 pitcher), along with graduate catcher Lyndi Rae Davis (No. 17 catcher), were ranked on D1Softball's position rankings.
Georgia's roster boasts eight newcomers this season, including seven freshmen. Infielder Paislie Allen and utility Mua Williams appeared on both D1Softball's and Softball America's Freshman Watch Lists. Fellow rookies Tyah Charlton and Esther White landed a spot on D1Softball's D100 Freshman Watch List.
Allen competed with the U.S. U-18 Women's National Team at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 World Cup Group C Stage Event in September in Dallas. The US punched its ticket to the 2025 WBSC World Cup Finals with Allen posting a tournament-best nine RBI.
Baldwin also bolstered his coaching staff in the offseason with the additions of assistant coach Mike Davenport and player development coordinator Karly Heath. Davenport comes to Athens from North Georgia, where he was the head coach for 24 seasons. He guided the Nighthawks to DII national championships in 2015 and 2023, accumulating over a thousand victories in his tenure at UNG. His head coaching record is an astounding 1,094-280. Heath comes to Georgia following a stint as the graduate assistant at Louisiana on Gerry Glasco's staff last season. Heath was an All-American pitcher and outfielder at Louisiana from 2021-2023.
The Bulldogs will open the 2025 campaign on Thursday, Feb. 6 at the Black & Gold Classic in Orlando, Florida. The Dogs will take on NC State at 1 p.m. in the season opener then host UCF that night at 6:30 p.m. Every game of the Black & Gold Classic will air on ESPN+.
The Bulldogs are ranked in all four preseason top 25 polls with several individual student-athletes being recognized on preseason player rankings and watch lists.
Georgia will open the season ranked No. 12 in NFCA/GoRout Top 25 Coaches Poll and No. 14 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Georgia is ranked No. 15 in the D1Softball poll and No. 17 in the Softball America poll.
| Top 25 Preseason Poll | Ranking |
| NFCA/GoRout | 12 |
| ESPN.com/USA Softball | 14 |
| D1Softball | 15 |
| Softball America | 17 |
Georgia was picked eighth in the 2025 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll. Conference play will start on Friday, March 7. The 2025 SEC Softball Tournament is scheduled for May 6-10 at Jack Turner Softball Stadium in Athens.
Senior left-handed pitcher Lilli Backes was named to the watch list for the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. Backes is one of 53 players on the watch list for the award. The Southeastern Conference leads all athletic conferences with 23 representatives on the watch list.
Backes was ranked on a pair of top-100 preseason player lists: No. 57 on Softball America's Top 100 Preseason Player Rankings and No. 56 on D1Softball's D100 Preseason Player Rankings. Dallis Goodnight landed No. 91 on Softball America's list.
Backes (No. 13 pitcher), along with graduate catcher Lyndi Rae Davis (No. 17 catcher), were ranked on D1Softball's position rankings.
| Position | D1Softball D100 Players Rankings | Softball America Top 100 Players | D1Softball Position Rankings | |
| Lilli Backes | Pitcher | 56 | 57 | 13 |
| Dallis Goodnight | Outfield | 91 | - | - |
| Lyndi Rae Davis | Catcher | - | - | 17 |
Georgia's roster boasts eight newcomers this season, including seven freshmen. Infielder Paislie Allen and utility Mua Williams appeared on both D1Softball's and Softball America's Freshman Watch Lists. Fellow rookies Tyah Charlton and Esther White landed a spot on D1Softball's D100 Freshman Watch List.
Allen competed with the U.S. U-18 Women's National Team at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 World Cup Group C Stage Event in September in Dallas. The US punched its ticket to the 2025 WBSC World Cup Finals with Allen posting a tournament-best nine RBI.
Baldwin also bolstered his coaching staff in the offseason with the additions of assistant coach Mike Davenport and player development coordinator Karly Heath. Davenport comes to Athens from North Georgia, where he was the head coach for 24 seasons. He guided the Nighthawks to DII national championships in 2015 and 2023, accumulating over a thousand victories in his tenure at UNG. His head coaching record is an astounding 1,094-280. Heath comes to Georgia following a stint as the graduate assistant at Louisiana on Gerry Glasco's staff last season. Heath was an All-American pitcher and outfielder at Louisiana from 2021-2023.
The Bulldogs will open the 2025 campaign on Thursday, Feb. 6 at the Black & Gold Classic in Orlando, Florida. The Dogs will take on NC State at 1 p.m. in the season opener then host UCF that night at 6:30 p.m. Every game of the Black & Gold Classic will air on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
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UT
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