ATHENS -- Georgia softball seniors Sydney Kuma and Sara Mosley have had a good run together, and it’s safe to say they aren’t ready for it to end.
Kuma and Mosley will be key to the No. 14-seeded Bulldogs’ postseason run, which begins at 4:30 p.m. on Friday against North Carolina Central in the four-team NCAA Women’s Softball Tournament Regional at Jack Turner in Athens.
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Virginia Tech and Boston University are the other two teams in the double-elimination Athens Regional and will open play at 2 p.m. on Friday.
Georgia enjoyed its best regular season since 2009 with Kuma and Mosley enjoying All-American-type of seasons on the field while sharing a friendship as roommates off of it, even though they come from vastly different backgrounds,
“That’s the beautiful part of a team sport,” Georgia coach Tony Baldwin said. “There are friendships like this that are built.”
Kuma is from Fresno, Calif., while Mosley is an in-state product from Ellijay whose parents come to support their daughter as well as Kuma.
“Just to know that I have a family in the stands is so important,” Kuma said. “I just feel loved and I’m so appreciative of it and so is my family.”
Mosley’s parents coming to support both of the girls and the team at each game helps form the tight-knit bond this Georgia softball team enjoys.
Kuma and Mosley, obviously, are even closer since they have lived together since their freshman years of college.
“I didn’t have my car freshman year so we did everything together,” Kuma said. “We went to the grocery store together. We went tutoring together and had almost all of our classes together.”
Over the past four years, these two players have become best friends and are just another example of why this game is so special.
“We can just look at each other and have that connection,” Mosley said, and know what each other are talking about without using words.”
Both are thinking Georgia needs to get back to the Women’s College World Series for the first time since their sophomore seasons in 2021.
Conquering the Athens Regional would mean advancing to Super Regionals to face the winner of the Tallahassee Regional, where No. 3-seed Florida State is a heavy favorite.
Win or lose, however, Kuma and Mosley will remain committed to their friendship.
“I’m so blessed that the sport of softball brought me a sister,” Kuma said. “Someone that, even after softball, I’ll still be close with.”
Georgia hitting leaders
Sydney Kuma .381, 11 HR, 45 RBI, .461 OB%
Jayda Kearney .379, 18 HR, 42 RBI, .492 OB%
Sara Mosley .347, 16 HR, 47 RBI, .416 OB%
Lyndi Rae Davis .338, 4 HR, 20 RBI, .419 OB%
Jaiden Fields .307, 8 HR, 31 RBI, .366 OB%
Sydney Chambley .299, 8 HR, 35 RBI, .372 OB%
Dallis Goodnight .294, 1 HR, 13 RBI, .376 OB%
Ellie Armistead .293, 3 HR, 21 RBI, .341 OB%
Jaydyn Goodwin .275, 5 HR. 14 RBI, .347 OB%