THE FLATS – Georgia Tech softball and coach Aileen Morales announced the signing of three future Yellow Jackets to the 2023 roster during the fall signing period on Thursday.
The signing class as a whole has been ranked 30th by Extra Inning Softball as all three of Tech’s 2023 signees were ranked in the top 50 of the same publication’s 2023 Extra Elite 100. The class provides depth to different levels of the field being composed of one pitcher, one infielder and one outfielder.
Gracie Hillman, OF (Birmingham, Ala./Hoover High School)
Hillman comes to The Flats from Birmingham, Ala., where she was a three-year letter winner and two-year captain in the outfield at Hoover High School. Ranked as the No. 19 prospect in the nation by Extra Inning Softball, Hillman helped lead the Buccaneers to a regional championship in 2021. Individually, the highly touted recruit has raked in a multitude of awards being named First Team All-State and to the All-Star North Team, All-South Metro First Team, All-Over-The-Mountain Team and Ravenwood Tournament MVP in 2022. In 2021, she also garnered All-South Metro Second Team honors. Hillman also competed in Alabama’s North-South game. The future Jacket also owns a spot in Hoover’s record books, posting the highest seasonal batting average in school history in 2021. On the travel circuit, Hillman played alongside fellow signee Makayla Coffield for the Birmingham Thunderbolts, becoming national champions in 2022 by winning the PGF Tournament. In the classroom, Hillman has also excelled, maintaining a 4.0 GPA in each of her high school years as a member of Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society and the National Honor Society. Upon arriving at Georgia Tech, Hillman plans to major in chemistry.
Gracyn Tucker, IF (Atlanta, Ga./Lassiter High School)
Tucker stays home to join the Yellow Jackets as she was a four-year letter winner splitting time at third, second and shortstop for Lassiter High School. Coming in as the No. 41 prospect in the nation according to Extra Inning Softball, Tucker helped propel the Trojans to back-to-back 6A state championships and gathered a wealth of personal accolades in the process. Throughout her high school career, Tucker’s individual recognitions include being named a USA Softball All-American twice, 2021 6A Player of the Year, MVP of Lassiter High School twice and all-state, all-region and all-county four times apiece. The incoming Jacket was also selected for 2021 high school all-star games. Over the course of her high school career, she’s batted .409 with a .453 on-base percentage, a 1.117 OPS and a .472 average with runners in scoring position to compile 146 runs, 184 hits, 40 doubles and 134 RBI in 138 games. On the travel circuit, Tucker competed for Bombers Fastpitch. Academically, Tucker is a member of the National Honor Society and plans to major in business at Georgia Tech.
Makayla Coffield, LHP (Riverdale, Ga./Whitewater High School)
Another home-grown product, Coffield skips inside the perimeter to Georgia Tech from Riverdale, Ga. There, she was a captain and four-year letter winner as a pitcher, outfielder and first baseman for Whitewater High School. The future Yellow Jacket comes in as the No. 21 prospect in the nation according to Extra Inning Softball after aiding the Wildcats in four postseason runs, including region championships in 2019 and 2022. Coffield also pushed her squad along to the Elite Eight in 2019, followed by a Final Four run in 2020 before finishing as state runner up in 2022. Individually, Coffield has garnered multiple honors as she was named all-state last season and has been selected to both all-region and all-county teams in each of the last four years. Set to compete in a senior all-star game this season, the lauded recruit has posted a 0.36 ERA with 237 punchouts and a .077 batting average against, allowing just six runs on 30 hits with 18 walks in 118.1 innings of work in 2022. Over her career, Coffield has amassed 544 career strikeouts. On the travel circuit, Coffield played alongside fellow signee Gracie Hillman on the Birmingham Thunderbolts as she tossed 22 shutout innings without allowing a walk, surrendering just five hits while compiling 30 strikeouts last season. She also hurled a pair of combined no hitters along with a perfect game. Off the field, Coffield is a member of the National Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, National Social Studies Honor Society, Beta Club and School Ambassadors. Also the vice president of the HOSA, Coffield is a three-time honoree on high honor roll and in the top one percent of her 2023 class. The future Jacket intends to major in biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech.
Competitive Drive Initiative
In a unified endeavor, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation, Georgia Tech athletics and the Alexander-Tharpe Fund have come together to accelerate funding for student-athlete scholarships with the launch of the Competitive Drive Initiative. The initiative kicks off with the Accelerate GT Match Program, where any new gift to the A-T Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund made through Dec. 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Georgia Tech Foundation, up to $2.5 million. Should Accelerate GT reach its $2.5 million fundraising goal, the matching gift would result in a $5 million impact for Georgia Tech athletics. To learn more and to contribute online, visit atfund.org/accelerate.
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