- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,242,258
- Reaction score
- 59
If one is tuned in to high school softball, they might have seen a unique name quite a few times: Goose. Goose Goodwin.
What started as a childhood nickname for Lilly Goodwin – and gained a little more steam when there couldn’t be two Lillys on her first softball team – has become her calling card.
“I thought it would stick for six months. It’s been eight years,” she said with a laugh.
And she’s right – it has definitely stuck. From her Northwestern commitment post to her USA softball roster listing, Lilly Goodwin is “Goose” to the softball world that she’s already made quite a mark on.
During her four years at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., she totaled 66 wins pitched, 924 strikeouts and a minuscule .52 ERA, all while batting .610 during her dominant senior year. What can’t she do?
The Wolves have risen in tandem – Desert Mountain took home their first-ever state title her freshman year, before pushing along to make it two and then three straight. The streak did come to an end during her final season, with a loss in the first round of the state tournament, but even that served its purpose.
“I think that was kind of for the best, to experience a loss like that before I go to college. It just kind of opened my eyes to all the things that I’ve been accustomed to and all the things I experienced that feel normal,” Goodwin said.
“Winning a state championship feels normal, because I did it all three years before senior year. So kind of getting that reality check helped me out, and made me realize how precious my time is with my teammates, and how amazing it is, what we’ve already accomplished.”
For those teammates, one of the things she’s happiest to leave for future classes is a team culture she says is more inclusive than it used to be, when she was a freshman, scared of the seniors. “Now the freshmen are constantly texting me like ‘will you go get me food? Will you go get me Black Rock?…So the fact that they’re comfortable enough to do that says something about our team culture, which I just love,” she said.
As she gets ready to head off to Northwestern University to play Division 1, her advice for the incoming class of high school athletes isn’t about anything on the diamond – it’s about what’s happening elsewhere, in the classroom.
“Academics never really leave you. They open a lot more doors if you have straight A’s versus straight C’s,” Goodwin said. “It’s important to have fun with it but you also need to realize that if you want to go to the next level with it, you have to take it seriously all the way through.”
Goodwin, who said she’s had “senioritis” since she committed to Northwestern back in late 2024, was quickly sure that becoming a Wildcat was the right next step.
The area, the campus, the brand-new softball facilities opening this summer – it all came together perfectly in a vibe that she described as much more “intimate and personal” than some other programs. During one visit, an optional call for current players to meet recruits turned into a big showing and a team breakfast, confirmation of what she was looking for.
“They were not forced to do this; they didn’t have to be there. They chose to be there and get to know us as people,” she said. “It felt so personal, and I am so excited to be a part of that community in three months."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: High School Sports Yearbook: Class of 2026 softball star Lilly Goodwin's reflects on HS journey
Continue reading...
What started as a childhood nickname for Lilly Goodwin – and gained a little more steam when there couldn’t be two Lillys on her first softball team – has become her calling card.
“I thought it would stick for six months. It’s been eight years,” she said with a laugh.
And she’s right – it has definitely stuck. From her Northwestern commitment post to her USA softball roster listing, Lilly Goodwin is “Goose” to the softball world that she’s already made quite a mark on.
During her four years at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., she totaled 66 wins pitched, 924 strikeouts and a minuscule .52 ERA, all while batting .610 during her dominant senior year. What can’t she do?
The Wolves have risen in tandem – Desert Mountain took home their first-ever state title her freshman year, before pushing along to make it two and then three straight. The streak did come to an end during her final season, with a loss in the first round of the state tournament, but even that served its purpose.
“I think that was kind of for the best, to experience a loss like that before I go to college. It just kind of opened my eyes to all the things that I’ve been accustomed to and all the things I experienced that feel normal,” Goodwin said.
“Winning a state championship feels normal, because I did it all three years before senior year. So kind of getting that reality check helped me out, and made me realize how precious my time is with my teammates, and how amazing it is, what we’ve already accomplished.”
For those teammates, one of the things she’s happiest to leave for future classes is a team culture she says is more inclusive than it used to be, when she was a freshman, scared of the seniors. “Now the freshmen are constantly texting me like ‘will you go get me food? Will you go get me Black Rock?…So the fact that they’re comfortable enough to do that says something about our team culture, which I just love,” she said.
Looking forward
As she gets ready to head off to Northwestern University to play Division 1, her advice for the incoming class of high school athletes isn’t about anything on the diamond – it’s about what’s happening elsewhere, in the classroom.
“Academics never really leave you. They open a lot more doors if you have straight A’s versus straight C’s,” Goodwin said. “It’s important to have fun with it but you also need to realize that if you want to go to the next level with it, you have to take it seriously all the way through.”
Goodwin, who said she’s had “senioritis” since she committed to Northwestern back in late 2024, was quickly sure that becoming a Wildcat was the right next step.
The area, the campus, the brand-new softball facilities opening this summer – it all came together perfectly in a vibe that she described as much more “intimate and personal” than some other programs. During one visit, an optional call for current players to meet recruits turned into a big showing and a team breakfast, confirmation of what she was looking for.
“They were not forced to do this; they didn’t have to be there. They chose to be there and get to know us as people,” she said. “It felt so personal, and I am so excited to be a part of that community in three months."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: High School Sports Yearbook: Class of 2026 softball star Lilly Goodwin's reflects on HS journey
Continue reading...
