Lilli Backes

Position:
LHP
Height:
5-5
Class:
Junior
B/T:
L/L
Hometown:
Peachtree City, Ga.
High School:
Starr's Mill HS
Prev School:
North Carolina
Exchange Profile:
Pitch an NIL Deal
Shop::
Buy My Merchandise

Career Honors and Awards
• Top 53 Watch List for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award
• 2025 CSC Academic All-District
• 2025 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll
• 2024 CSC Academic All-District
• 2023-24 SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll
• 2023 All-ACC Second Team
• 2023 All-ACC Tournament Team
• ACC Pitcher of the Week (4/25/23, 5/2/23)
• 2023 All-ACC Academic Team
• 2022 All-ACC Academic Team

2025 // Senior
Pitched in 36 games, making 23 starts in the circle… Finished the season with a 16-11 record and a 3.44 ERA… Recorded one save… Worked 152.2 innings… Struck out 152 batters… Went the distance 11 times… Finished tied for seventh in the SEC in strikeouts, ninth in innings pitched, 11^th in wins and appearances, and 13^th in games started… Pitched a seven-inning, complete-game shutout against Georgia Southern (3/12) with six strikeouts… Entered in the sixth inning with bases loaded against No. 17 Oklahoma State (3/26) and got out of the jam en route to her first save… Tossed a five-inning shutout against Kentucky (5/6) in the opening round of the SEC Tournament… Pitched a complete game against Coastal Carolina, tying a season-best nine strikeouts… Earned the win in a 6.1-inning start in game two of the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional, allowing one run to No. 3 Florida (5/24), leaving 13 Gators on base in the game… Pitched 19 innings in the NCAA Tournament with 21 strikeouts… Appeared on the Top 53 Watch List for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award before the season… Named 2025 CSC Academic All-District Team… Member of the 2025 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll.

2024 // Junior
Made a team-high 46 appearances in the circle and made 21 starts… Concluded the season with a 2.68 ERA and an 18-7 record… Went the distance in 10 games with three shutouts and six saves… Pitched 183.0 innings with 134 strikeouts… Named to the CSC Academic All-District Team… Pitched a complete-game shutout in Georgia debut against South Dakota (2/9), striking out eight… Went 2-0 with a save in the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational, working 16 innings and striking out 10, appearing in all four of Georgia's games that weekend… Pitched a complete game against No. 19 UCLA (2/16)… Earned the win in the circle against No. 8 Clemson (2/28), pitching 3.1 innings out of the pen… Pitched a career-long 8.0 innings and tied a career-best 10 strikeouts at No. 11 Stanford (3/3)… Threw a seven-inning one-hitter in series opener at Ole Miss (3/23), losing the no-hit bid with two out in the seventh… Earned the win in all three games of Georgia's series sweep at Ole Miss… Pitched 20 innings in the NCAA Athens Regional, striking out 10 and walking just two while going 3-0 in four appearances… One-hit and shut out Charlotte (5/17) in an elimination game of the NCAA Athens Regional… Pitched 10.1 innings in two games of the Regional final against Liberty (5/19)… Member of SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll.

2023 // Sophomore (North Carolina)
Named All-ACC Second Team… All-ACC Tournament Team… Earned ACC Pitcher of the Week twice (4/25, 5/2)… Landed on the All-ACC Academic Team… Made a team-high 39 appearances in the circle, starting 33 games… Led the Tar Heels with a 2.79 ERA in 180.2 innings pitched and 156 strikeouts… Finished the season with a 16-14 record, tossing 15 complete games with five shutouts… Held a 11-4 record and 2.15 ERA in ACC play, throwing eight complete games with four shutouts… Threw a complete game shutout vs. No. 11 Virginia Tech (3/1/23), limiting the Hokies to just three hits with five strikeouts… Struck out a career-best 10 batters at NC State (4/21/23)… Earned first career save at NC State (4/23/23).

2022 // Freshman (North Carolina)
Made a team-high 31 appearances in the circle, starting 21 games… Led the team with 114.2 innings pitched and 95 strikeouts… Earned first career win at South Carolina, allowing no runs and just two hits in 3.2 innings of work with four strikeouts… Recorded a season-high seven strikeouts three times: vs. Missouri (2/18/22). at Liberty (3/16/22), at Louisville (4/8/22)…Earned a complete game victory vs. No. 4 Florida State (4/16/22), limiting the Seminoles to just one run and three hits… Threw five complete games… Finished with a 8-14 record … All-ACC Academic Honor Roll

High School
Was a four-year letter winner at Starr's Mill High School for coach Mark Williamson… A three-time region pitcher of the year and three-time first-team all-state selection, Backes finished her high school career with 912 career strikeouts… As a junior and senior she was named the 5A and Region Pitcher of the Year, and lead her team to a 2021 Region 2-AAAAA State Championship title… Graduated early in December 2021 to enroll at UNC… Played for Georgia Impact Gusaeff/O'Neil for coach Chad O'Neil.

Personal
Daughter of Laura and Chris Backes… Has one older brother, Nicholas… Born Jan. 23, 2023… Majoring in Finance at UGA.