Freshman outfielder Jayda Kearney hit her fourth home run of the season in the ninth inning to give No. 21 Georgia a win over 17th-ranked Tennessee last weekend. The home run helped the Bulldogs secure the 11-8 victory.

Events like these are frequent occurrences for Kearney in her first year at Georgia. She has become a vital part of the team’s offense this season as she leads the team in batting average, hits, RBIs and home runs in conference games. These stats come at a time where she is battling the challenges of COVID-19 and the transition from the youth to college level in a sport lacking diversity.

Kearney experimented with multiple sports throughout her childhood in her hometown of Columbus, N.J., but her love for and success in softball outshined the others. She said she could see herself having a future with softball, which led to her committing to play for Georgia in eighth grade.

“I knew from the get-go that I wanted to be at a big softball school,” Kearney said. “When I visited campus here, I loved the school. I loved the coaches, and they’re a great softball program, so I thought it’d be the best fit for me.”

She continued developing her skills in high school, where she earned all-American, all-state, all-region and all-conference honors for three consecutive years.

“She had all the assets that a great athlete has; her presence, her size and her athletic ability,” said Debbie Schwartz, Kearney’s high school coach. “She’d never waste a minute in terms of trying to become a better player.”

Kearney anticipated playing at Georgia even more once her final season in high school was cut short. The coronavirus pandemic put an abrupt end to the softball season at Donovan Catholic High School, along with the hopes for back-to-back state titles for Kearney and her senior teammates.

“They took a journey together for three years prior, and to not be able to finish was really, really devastating,” Schwartz said.

COVID carried into Kearney’s freshman year at Georgia and affected her and the other newcomers’ ability to bond with the rest of the team. Kearney said she knew only one girl on the team when she joined and was unable to get to know the rest of her teammates as she would without the COVID restrictions.

Her first season also brought on what she considered the biggest challenge of her softball career -- transitioning to the college level of play. She said facing nationally-ranked teams at this level has been fun, but also an adjustment for her. So when she was named SEC Freshman of the Week last month, she said the feeling was even more amazing.

“Going into that, I had to sit a couple games,” Kearney said. “I was going through a lot of adversity, dealing with my own challenges, trying to figure out how to play my game the best I can. So, when I got the opportunity, I did what I was supposed to do. It really is pushing me to want to keep doing more.”

The push to do more also comes from her desire to bring more black women into softball. Around 5% of college softball players are black, according to NCAA demographics, and the number has been consistent for the past five years. Kearney has recognized this disparity and wants to change it.

“I think being a good softball player really draws other black women to the sport and makes them want to play,” Kearney said. “I think it’s been good for people watching me, especially as they grow up.”

Kearney and the rest of the Bulldogs will face No. 4 Alabama this weekend for their last home series of the season.