Mosley, UGA regroup for WCWS appearance

Following her freshman season that was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sara Mosley and her University of Georgia teammates made a statement on the softball diamond.

UGA went on a five-game winning streak through regionals to earn a spot reserved for the top-eight teams in the country at the Womens College World Series. Mosley is a Gilmer High alum and recently discussed the Dawgs’ 2021 season and what it has meant to play at UGA.

“This still doesn’t feel real that I’m doing  what I’ve always wanted to do. I was always that little girl going to UGA camps and wanted to go to Georgia my whole life,” Mosley said. “Now I’m at Georgia playing, going to the World Series and seeing my name up on the scoreboard as a staring player ... it’s like a dream to me. 

“It still doesn’t kick in that I’m literally living my dream.”

Mosley started 55 of the 57 games she played in this season after UGA was limited to 28 games in 2020. While last fall and the preseason were still heavily impacted by the pandemic, restrictions eased as the season got underway and stadiums were fully open by regional tournaments.

“It was fun to get back out there after last season got cut off,” Mosley said. “This was my first time experiencing a full season, the postseason and going all the way to the World Series. 

“It was almost back to normal, but we still had to get tested for COVID twice a week. We were able to ride on the same bus and the same plane and could be back together in the dugout again. It was just really cool to experience the whole season since I didn’t get to as a freshman.”

Mosley began the year at third base and played 26 games at the position and recorded a .978 fielding percentage. She was eventually moved to the designated player spot, which is similar to a designated hitter in baseball with some added defensive flexibility.

“I was still in the starting lineup as the fourth hitter so I really wasn’t fazed by it,” Mosley said of the position change. “All I had to do was hit and be done.” 

UGA posted a 34-23 overall record with a starting lineup that was made up of seven underclassmen. The Dawgs were 7-17 versus Southeastern Conference opponents and nearly half of those losses came toward the end of the season.

“The regular season was rough,” Mosley said. “We started out pretty strong then hit a bump and went on a seven-game losing streak. We went out of the SEC tournament the first game (versus Kentucky). We said at this moment that we start to strive and get to work and get something out of this or we could take pity on ourselves that we lost.

“We went back to Athens after we lost and were practicing five to six hours a day doing weights and all that. We came back and went undefeated all the way to the World Series.”

Following their 3-0 loss to Kentucky, UGA won three straight at home as a host of a NCAA Regional. The Dawgs beat Western Kentucky in six innings where Mosley collected two hits, a RBI and scored a run. 

UGA then notched two wins over No. 13 ranked Duke. In game two, Mosley blasted a three-run home run and finished with a pair of hits, two runs scored and three RBIs.

For their efforts, the Dawgs earned a trip to a Super Regional versus rival and No. 4 ranked Florida on the Gators’ home field.

With their backs against the wall, the Dawgs rose to the occasion and defeated UF by scores of 4-0 and 6-0 to qualify for the WCWS.

“That was really something going down to Gainesville. We were so pumped after winning our regional,” Mosley said. “Everybody doubted us and nobody thought we would beat Florida twice, especially in a sweep. They were doubting us and we took that and it put a fire in our gut to prove to everybody that we deserved to be there and we earned it. 

“When we went down to Florida we had that chip on our shoulder to fight for each other. We played the best we played all season in Gainesville and everyone played their part. It wasn’t just one or two people, it was a whole team effort.”

From there it was off to Oklahoma City for the WCWS at Hall of Fame Stadium. UGA faced No. 5 Oklahoma State June 3 and lost, 3-2. 

The Dawgs were back on the field two days later against No. 1 ranked and eventual national champions Oklahoma. UGA defeated OU during the regular season but the Sooners came out on top 8-0 to end the Dawgs’ season.

“We made it there, so we were already kind of satisfied, but obviously we wanted to go and win some games. Just making it there was a huge accomplishment and something to be proud of,” Mosley said.

“When we got there and the stadium was full of fans, a different kind of nerves hit you. My first at-bat when I was up there, I was shaking. Then after I got a swing in I was fine. I’ve been to Oklahoma for travel softball tournaments (growing up) and I’ve always dreamed of being on that field.”

Mosley finished the season with 40 hits, 27 runs scored, six home runs, 27 RBIs, a .258 batting average and drew 23 walks.

Following their elimination, UGA head coach Lu Harris-Champer announced her retirement after a 25-year head coaching career across three universities. In 21 seasons at UGA, she led the Dawgs to 959 victories, 19-straight NCAA tournament appearances, 11 trips to Super Regionals and five berths to the WCWS.

Mosley first met Harris-Champer 13 years ago while attending a UGA summer camp. She discussed what it meant to know and play for the three-time SEC coach of the year.

“I’ve been going to UGA camps since I was 7 and she’s known me the whole time,” Mosley said. “When we started to get into the recruiting process, she knew I wanted to go there. She recruited me, I committed and signed and finally got to play at my dream school for my dream coach that I grew up talking to and building a connection with. It was an honor to play for such a great coach. She puts all the players before everything and would do absolutely anything for us.

“I’m definitely sad about it but happy for her because she’s had 20-plus years in the coaching game and that’s a lot of time away from your family. She told us the COVID year really opened her eyes to how much she’s away.”

Mosley will continue to train over the summer and wants to improve all facets of her game. Because of the pandemic, shs was granted an extra year eligibility. Mosley plans to play three more seasons and assessed the future of the program.

“It’s crazy the amount of chemistry this team had. It was so fun when we came together and played the way we knew we could,” she said. 

“We’re a very young team, and over half the team was freshmen and sophomores and we had a lot of inexperience. I felt like this year was a learning year. The fact that we made it as far as we did in a learning year, there’s no telling how far we can actually go next year and the years to come.”