The University of Georgia’s Sara Mosley has added All-Conference and All-American honors to her illustrious softball resume.
The UGA junior third baseman was either the team leader or second on the roster across eight offensive categories. She helped the Bulldogs finish with a 43-18 record on the season, which ended with a trip to NCAA Regionals.
“Being named an All-American has been my dream since I was 6,” said Mosley, who is a Gilmer High alum. “I’ve always wanted to come to Georgia, and I know I say this to a lot of people, but I’m literally living my childhood dream at my dream school. Being named an All-American here, just puts me over the moon. I couldn’t be more thankful for it, and I couldn’t have done it without the good Lord because he gave me the talent.”
One welcome change for Mosley this season was getting back on the field defensively. Last year, she mostly filled the role of designated player, a distinction that limits a player to offense. She rededicated herself in the weight room and focused on improving strength, speed and agility ahead of the season.
“That helped me going into the fall and getting back into things,” she said. “I worked my tail off to prove I was supposed to be on the field instead of just in the DP spot.
“It goes to show if you work hard and put your mind to something you can do it. Not every position is given out there; you have to earn it. I’m not playing college ball just to be a hitter. I’m there to showcase all of my talent.”
Another change came at the top of the program. Former assistant Tony Baldwin took over the head coaching reins from Lu Harris-Champer, who led UGA for 21 seasons. Mosley had a strong relationship with Harris-Champer, and the two first met back when Mosley attended UGA camps in elementary school.
The changeover to Baldwin was smooth, and he fostered a positive, nurturing environment.
“We love him, and it’s like he’s always been the head coach,” Mosley said. “We call him Papa Tony, because he literally acts like our papa. He’s just a laid back, down-to-earth type of guy. He knows when to be serious and when to get on our butts.
“It was a good, safe environment, and you could go to him and talk about anything. He put our mental health and us as a person ahead of us as a player, and I think that’s as important as anything. He wants us to develop into the confident women we should be.”
While Mosley’s offseason strength training helped her get back on the field at third base, she also addressed another aspect that enabled her to perform at the peak of her abilities.
“This year, I had a new perspective to keep my emotions in a constant state with softball being my getaway,” she explained. “It should be the fun part of my day, and going to the field was a relief from everything. Last year, it wasn’t that. I never wanted to go last year, and I wanted to be home.
“This year, I was loving every minute of it. I was in a good headspace and told myself, ‘Hey, your good is good enough, and that’s all you need to do.’”
And Mosley’s good surely proved to be “good enough.” She led UGA with a .418 batting average, 160 points higher than a season ago. She was also the top Dawg with 76 hits, which included 12 doubles. She ranked second on the team when it came to home runs (17), on-base plus slugging (1.237), RBIs (56), slugging percentage (.764) and runs scored (51).
Her batting average and hits both ranked fourth in the Southeastern Conference, and 27th and 15th, respectively, in the nation. Her home run tally was eighth in the SEC and ranked 32nd in the country.
Mosley also had the seventh most RBIs and the eighth highest slugging percentage in the conference. She had the fewest strikeouts among SEC everyday players, and strung together a team-high 15-game hitting streak.
To celebrate her birthday weekend, Mosley became the second-ever UGA player to go 5-for-5 at the plate. The feat came April 23 versus No. 21 ranked LSU, and Mosley terrorized the Tigers during the series with eight hits in 11 at-bats.
She entered the series motivated and with a heavy heart as her grandmother passed away days earlier.
“I just tried to go out there and do my best and everything I could because I know she’d be proud of me,” Mosley said. “It turned out to be one of the most fun weekends I’ve had just going out there and competing. That’s when I’m at my best, when I can just go out there and play ball. It was just see the ball and hit it. It was a one-on-one competition between me and the pitcher, and I was going to beat her.”
Defensively, Mosley started 55 games at third and had a .971 fielding percentage to go with 76 assists and 57 put outs.
UGA was knocked out of the SEC tournament by Ole Miss. The Dawgs made their way to the NCAA Regional in Durham, N.C., and dropped their first game versus Liberty. UGA then went on a three-game wining streak with victories over University of Maryland — Baltimore County, Liberty and Duke. However, Duke won the ensuing regional title game to end UGA’s season.
“We had a good environment and there was no drama. We all loved each other and wanted to be out there for each other,” she said. “When it gets to SEC games, it’s a different level. Just knowing we’re good and deserve to be out there is how we keep making it to the postseason.”
During UGA’s game versus Duke, television cameras focused on the back of Mosley’s helmet. She has a decal of a pair of wings and halo to pay tribute to her dad, the late Bob Mosley, who was one of her most ardent supporters and pushed her to be her very best.
“I put it on my helmet knowing that’s who I play for,” she said. “That’s who I go out there for because it was his dream, too, for me to be out there on UGA’s field. I loved it being on TV and was so thankful they gave me that little shout out at Duke. If you know me, you know that’s why I step out there every day, and that’s why I do it and keep going back. It will be on there every time I step on the field.”
Following the season, Mosley was named to the All-SEC first team. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association voted Mosley to its All-American second team, as well as to the All-Southeast Region second team.
Mosley is on track academically with her human development and family science major, and she has two years of eligibility left. As a rising senior, she plans to take on leadership as it comes naturally and not force it.
“The girls will always be able to come to me, and I’m just going to continue to do what I’m doing now: have fun and play with my teammates,” she said. “I’m going to continue to work hard and try to keep myself in that same mental state and keep my emotions constant. I do lessons, and I tell kids they have to get the mental side of their game down before you can even perform.
“I want to keep working on myself, stay in shape, keep doing what I’m doing and keep trucking on.”