Sydney Kuma, Sara Mosley and Shelby Walters, three UGA Softball seniors who were first-team All-SEC selections in 2023, have told DawgsCentral that they will exercise a final year of eligibility and return to Georgia in 2024. 

The Bulldogs had an excellent season in 2023, racking up a 39-12 record (16-7 SEC) that earned them a #2 seed in the SEC Tournament and the right to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament. UGA swept its regional in Athens before falling to eventual national runner-up Florida State in the super-regional. Georgia didn’t reach the Women’s College World Series in head coach Tony Baldwin’s first year at the helm, but the season marked a step forward for a team that finished 9th in the SEC and lost in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022. 

Sara Mosley, Shelby Walters, and Sydney Kuma, were a large part of Georgia’s success in 2023. All three were seniors this past season. Due to the NCAA’s Covid-19 rules, each of them has the right to exercise another year of eligibility and return to the Bulldogs in 2024. Kuma, Mosley and Walters have informed DawgsCentral that they will return to Athens for another run at the Women’s College World Series. This is big news for Georgia and head coach Tony Baldwin, as all three were a big part of Georgia’s success this past season. 

Shelby Walters was part of a two-headed pitching machine that featured her and Madison Kerpics. Walters was a first-team All-SEC selection and had an overall record of 18-6, posting an ERA of 1.72 over 167 innings. She tied Georgia's single-season saves record (7) and pitched 8 complete games.

Sydney Kuma played second base all year for the Dawgs, leading the team with a .379 batting average in 2023. Kuma was second on the team in OPS (1.165), hits (58) and RBIs (49). Her 12 home runs were the third most for Georgia in 2023. Sydney’s stellar season earned her tons of recognition. Kuma was named first-team All-SEC, made the SEC All-Defensive Team, and was voted a second-team All-American by Softball America

Sara Mosley played third base for Georgia in 2023 and was a force at the plate. She was second on the team with 17 home runs and led the Bulldogs in hits (63), RBIs (53), doubles (14) and total bases (130). Mosley was voted first-team All-SEC and named a third-team All-American by Softball America.

The return of Mosley, Kuma and Walters means that Georgia could be primed to make a run to the Women's College World Series in 2024. 

Stay tuned to DawgsCentral for the latest news on UGA Athletics.