Charlie Obaugh RV & Outdoor Center Student Athlete of the Week: Destiny Good

Published: Jan. 23, 2023 at 9:57 AM EST
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STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) - Destiny Good is a dedicated student and star pitcher who helped guide the Riverheads Softball team to its best season ever last spring.

“I love Riverheads, I’m die-hard red pride all the way. I love being a part of teams, I love making special bonds, softball allows me to have sisters outside of my actual family which is really nice to be able to rely on them and be close to them,” said Good, a senior at Riverheads High School.

Good is a standout pitcher for the Riverheads Softball team. As a junior last season, she was named All-District, All-Region, and All-State.

“My favorite part is the competitiveness, I love competing and it’s just been a way for me to relieve stress. I step onto the field, I don’t have to worry about anything else that’s happening around me, I just focus on the game,” she said.

Last season Good helped lead the Gladiators to their first-ever state championship game appearance.

“When you’re put on that type of stage for the first time, everybody is focused on the circle. So she remains calm but still is focused and gives an A game all the time and the other players will attach themselves to that,” said Riverheads Softball Head Coach Michael Walters.

For Good and her teammates the run to the championship game was an amazing experience.

“It felt amazing to make school history since we’d never made it to states. Personally, my goal has always been to stand out, I’ve always wanted to play softball in college and because of last season I’m now getting to go play softball at Emory and Henry,” she said.

Good also plays volleyball and is an excellent student, ranking in the top ten of her class with a 4.12 GPA.

“She’s the first one to get stuff done but it’s not because she rushed through it. She is thorough, she is detailed, and pays attention to detail, which I think we see both on the softball field with her pitching as well as in the classroom,” said Heather Durham, an English Teacher at Riverheads High School.

With the time she puts into sports and the high-level courses she takes, Good’s teachers and coaches are impressed by her work ethic.

“If she has a free minute she is going to use it on something productive, whether it’s looking up something for softball, reading, working on something for another class, or scholarship applications, she is going to use every minute available to her,” said Durham.

Good said her subject in school is science and anatomy in particular. When she attends Emory & Henry next fall she will study Health and Exercise Science and will be a first generation College Student.

Good’s coach is confident she will be very successful this spring during her senior season and when she heads off to college.

“She’s not an outspoken player, you will not hear her yelling or anything she’s very soft spoken but it’s the competitiveness. She’s a competitor and when she gets in that circle she is focused and lets her game speak for her,” said Walters.

Coach Walters said that Good also plays a big leadership role for the team.

“She’s a team builder, so she brings the younger ones on and you can always see her out on the field talking to the younger players, the older players, and always giving that little bit of advice, making them feel comfortable,” he said.

Good is always willing to help out others in the classroom.

“She mentors our younger kids, she mentors kids in class, she’s quick to help. I think she’s very humble and we are very lucky to have her, she truly exemplifies the gladiator way,” said Durham.

Good hopes that she is remembered for her sportsmanship and for helping her teammates.

“I want everyone to remember me as being the most sportsman-like on the team and always trying to pick everybody up when their down. Carrying the team when they get down on themselves or make a mistake, like shake it off you’re fine, get back into it,” she said.