CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina softball head coach Kelley Green has announced the addition of seven student-athletes in Libby Pippin (Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, Ala.), Ava Brooke Strickland (East Coweta High School, Newnan, Ga.), and Rein Whitley (Bartram Trail High School, Saint John's Fla.), along with transfers Lucy Goodwin (Triton College – River Grove, Ill.), Jillian Vitamanti (Young Harris College – Young Harris, Ga.), Indya Smith (Saint Mary's College of California – Moraga, Calif.), and Diamond Williams (Mercer University – Macon, Ga.)
 
Lucy Goodwin, a catcher from Oak Park, Ill., comes to Coastal after playing her freshman season at Triton College. Goodwin started 29 games and batted .425 in 106 at-bats. She tallied 32 runs off 45 hits, including 39 RBIs, 11 doubles, three triples, and 10 home runs. Goodwin was also 3-for-3 in stolen bases. Defensively behind the plate, Goodwin recorded a .981 fielding percentage with 255 putouts. 
 
Coach Green on Goodwin: "Lucy has a tremendous work ethic and loves the grind. She will fit in well with our culture."
 
Libby Pippin, a utility player from Vestavia Hills, Ala., was a multi-sport athlete at Vestavia Hills High School, where she lettered in softball, track, and volleyball. Notably, Pippin was a member of the National Honor Society and in 2022 was named to the 7A All-South Metro first team, Over the Mountain Birmingham All-Metro first team, and tabbed an Alabama 7A All-State honorable mention. 
 
Coach Green on Pippin: "Libby has a ton of positive energy, plus speed on the bases to help us score some runs."
 
Indya Smith, an outfielder from Petaluma, Calif., arrives at Coastal Carolina after playing the last three seasons at Saint Mary's College of California. Smith appeared in 103 games for the Gaels, starting 102. Over her three-year career in 279 at-bats, Smith recorded a .283 batting average with a .394 slugging percentage. She tallied 79 hits, 36 runs, and 39 RBIs, while also posting 18 doubles, two triples, three home runs, and 19 walks. Notably, Smith was named to the All-WCC first team in 2021 and the All-WCC second team in 2022. 
 
Coach Green on Smith: "Indya has some great tools on both sides of the ball. We expect her to be a catalyst in our offense."
 
Ava Brooke Strickland, a native of Newnan, Ga., is an outfielder from East Coweta High School. She was a 2021 7A State Champion and a 7A 2021 All-State honorable mention selection

Coach Green on Strickland: "Ava Brooke is a solid defensive outfielder with a great first step and excellent range. She has a good mix of power with plus speed on the offensive side of the game."
 
Jillian Vitamanti, a native of Murrieta, Calif., Vitamanti played her freshman season at Young Harris College where she appeared in 28 games, starting 21. She recorded a .220 batting average in 59 at-bats and added 13 runs off 13 hits, including three RBIs. In the field, she tallied a .944 fielding percentage with 30 putouts and four assists.
 
Coach Green on Vitamanti: "Jillian's elite speed will be a big asset to our program."
 
Rein Whitley, an outfielder from Saint John's, Fla., attended Bartram Trail High School, where she was a two-time conference champion (2019 and 2021) and a 2019 district champion. She was also a member of the honor roll while at Bartram Trail.
 
Coach Green on Whitley: "We look forward to seeing Rein in our outfield. She gets great reads and does an excellent job tracking down a ball. She's got a ton of tools on the offensive side as well."
 
Diamond Williams, a transfer from Mercer University, is a native of Evans, Ga. While spending three seasons at Mercer, the utility player appeared in 95 games, starting 71. She tallied a .295 batting average and a .482 slugging percentage over 224 at-bats. She registered 40 runs, 66 hits, 19 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, and 50 RBIs. In the field, she recorded 334 putouts and 12 assists while posting a fielding percentage of .983.
 
Coach Green on Williams: "Diamond is a proven hitter at our level and should add a ton of production to our lineup." 
 
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