In my second article of the series "Discovering the Future of Softball" we travel to Poquoson, VA to meet 2028 softball prospect Tinley Goodson. She is a speedy fast twitch player who excels on the base path and one of the top middle infielders for the class of 2028 per Extra Innings and Legacy and Legends rankings. Tinley makes some outstanding plays on defense and a great switch hitter.
Tinley Goodson -2028 MIF
Team NC Bowman
Switch hitter
L&L Rank #23 2028 class
2023 Stats
80 Games played
.463 batting average, .537 slugging pct, .495 on base pct., 1.032 OPS, .958 Fielding pct
220 plate appearances
201 at bats 93 hits
68 runs scored 44 stolen bases
We discussed her goals that she has for herself and she mentioned "My short-term goals are to increase strength and overall speed. I spend my off season working with my trainers to increase overhand arm velocity, agility, foot speed, and exit velo when hitting. I’m in 8th grade so over the next year or so, I hope to start on Varsity as a freshman and to make an impact for my team. I look forward to playing with my travel team this summer (Team NC- Bowman) and we have big goals! We all want to make a name for ourselves and show we have what it takes to compete with the best."
Regarding her strengths that make her a great athlete she commented "I’ve always been told I’m very coach-able. I am good at taking feedback and using it to make me better. I think my level of commitment and leadership skills also help make me a great athlete. I come from an athletic family but I also know that in order to excel, I have to put in the work. I am lucky to have a dad that is willing to work out with me weekly on hitting, fielding, and throwing." Her athletic prowess is not limited to the diamond as she said "I played JV volleyball this year as an 8th grader. It was a new sport for me and I really enjoyed it. I love the team aspect and the pace of the game. I also did competitive cheer-leading for about 5 years. I was a flyer and tumbler. The intensity of those 2.5 minute routines are crazy. But I’ve always loved softball the most and decided to spend more time training on those skills."
She discussed some of the things she is most proud of in her young career, saying "Being ranked top 20 in the country by Legacy and Legends and Extra Innings. This year they decided to only rank high school players so I will have to wait until next year to see where I fall." She has more to her though than just athletics, as she added "I’m also proud of my academics. Good grades are really important to me and my parents. I was recently inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. The accomplishment that has made the most impact on me in softball is definitely making Team NC Bowman and competing against some of the best 16U teams in the country." As far as inspirations on her softball journey Goodson added "Grayson Radcliffe. I went to a camp when I was 12 years old that Grayson was running. At the time she was playing with Indiana. Her love and passion for the game was obvious and the way she shared that with me just inspired me to want to be the best and play at the next level. There are so many great softball players that I look up to and love watching play. "
I asked her to describe her style of play and Tinley replied with "I would say that I’m a well-rounded player. I want to be sure my defensive game and offensive game are both at a high level. I want to contribute in all aspects of the game. I play the game with energy and intensity. I love softball so having fun on the field and with my team is important too." She discussed one of her standout performances with me "The first one that comes to mind is Scenic City Summer 2023. I went 13-18 that tournament with a .722 batting average. I was seeing the ball so well that week!" Then she told me about a big day against a premiere 2026 pitcher "This past fall at the Ray Seymour Invitational our team played Starz Gold National –Bunn. My bat was hot that day and went 2-3 (triple and single) against one of the best 2026 pitchers in VA. "
Tinley on what drives her in softball ?
"Simple, I want to be the best. I hate the feeling of letting my team down so I work hard to be sure I can contribute. My dad was a baseball player and has always said that playing ball is a game of failures. I have definitely had my moments where I struck out in a big game and those moments drive me to get better.
When she is not playing softball she says " I love hanging out with friends, taking golf cart rides while listening to music, and going to the beach. I also love to go watch other sports. I live in a small town so I love going out to watch and support all the sports teams." She says she is passionate about FAMILY !! and added "I love my family. My parents are amazing and very supportive. They are both super competitive like me so I think that is where I get a lot of my passion. I have 2 brothers that are both wrestlers. My older brother was a state champion last year as a Freshman, so during my off season I spend a lot of time supporting them during wrestling season. I love spending time with family and friends. The summer for us is full of boating, family pool parties, and jet skiing. My whole family is so supportive of me and softball. They will often travel all over to watch me play which really means a lot. "
I asked Goodson if there are any camps she has been to that stood out to her and she replied "NC State and UVA. Both of those schools had great camps. The atmosphere, coaches, and players are welcoming and provide great feedback. But I have honestly learned at all the camps I’ve been to. I just try to take it all in." As for teams she roots for and has interest in she stated "I love watching all college softball. I have a lot of players I look up to so I will follow their teams during the season. My family loves to watch college sports and we follow a lot of ACC and SEC schools. Right now I just enjoy going to camps and learning from each program and the coaches. I like checking out the atmosphere of different areas. At the beginning of the Fall season, our coach had us write down dream schools, sweet spot schools, and then other programs we were interested in. For now, I’ll keep that list to myself because as I go to camps my list changes."
Commenti