WALESKA, Ga. -- Callie Ann Poole, a 5-foot-11 infielder from Howard, Ga., has signed a letter of intent to attend Reinhardt University in the fall and play softball for the Lady Eagles in 2011 under head coach Glen Crawford, the 2010 Appalachian Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Poole comes to Reinhardt as a transfer from Mercer University but she did not play there, thus giving her four years of athletic eligibility remaining. She is a 2009 graduate of Taylor County High School in Butler, Ga., where she played for head coach Will Harris.  

"Callie Ann can play the corners and help us with her hitting," Crawford said. "She brings a love for the game and a willingness to get better. I see her being able to help us from day one and doing good things here at Reinhardt."

Poole, the daughter of Steve and Susan Poole, earned four varsity letters each in softball, basketball and golf, and was her class valedictorian at Taylor County. As a senior, she was one of just 10 female student-athletes from across the state to be a finalist for the Vincent J. Dooley Scholarship Award, was named the female honoree of the Wendy's High School Heisman award from TCHS, and served as president of the Key Club. In softball, Poole was a teammate of current Reinhardt player Becca Jones, and in October 2008 she was named the Academic Athlete of the Week by Georgia Public Broadcasting. During Poole's junior and freshman seasons, the Vikings posted overall records of 26-6 and 21-7, respectively. In basketball, she was a post player under head coach Matt Troutman for squads that finished 26-3 overall in 2008-09 and 25-4 in 2007-08.

"I've missed playing ball so much because I didn't play my freshman year of college," Poole said. "I've been to the Reinhardt campus once before to watch a softball game and after I saw it, it just felt like home because I'm from a small town too. I'm just excited about being a part of a team again."