University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldogs Bash Their Way to Home Run Record
May 07, 2022 | Softball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Jayda Kearney delivered the record-tying blast in the bottom of the first inning Saturday, sending a three-run homer far beyond the wall in center field at Jack Turner Stadium. A couple of hours later, in the bottom of the seventh, she belted a grand slam that sent the 2022 Georgia softball team into the history books.
Are these the Bash Bulldogs? The Bulldog Bombers? Something much better than either of those two nicknames, hopefully? Call them what you want, these power-packed Bulldogs are the most prolific sluggers in school history. Kearney's first shot in Georgia's 10-8 loss to Ole Miss tied the previous single-season record of 99, set by the 2010 squad, and her final homer set the new mark at 100.
"It's a lot of fun," Kearney said earlier this week of being on a team that's hitting so many home runs. "It's a great environment and everyone's rooting for everyone, so it's really exciting, especially seeing how many we're hitting."
Georgia is the first SEC team to hit 100 homers in a season since Tennessee did it in 2015. And in so doing, the Bulldogs made head coach Tony Baldwin look pretty smart. In an interview on Thursday, Baldwin said he told some folks before the season that he "thought this was a team that could hit a 100 home runs." Georgia hit 83 homers last season, so it's not like this power surge is out of nowhere.
The potential for a lot of power isn't the same as producing a lot of power, of course.
"You've got to go play the game," Baldwin said. "To do that, we were going to have to have some people raise their ability to contribute. And as it's worked out, we've had that."
Led by six sluggers with 10 or more home runs this season, Georgia (40-14, 12-11 SEC) on Saturday reached 100 in 54 games, passing the total of 99 that the 2010 squad reached in 63, a season that ended at the College World Series.
"I'm cool with records falling & balls being sent to the pines ...," former Georgia All-American Kristyn Sandberg tweeted Saturday afternoon. Sandberg led the Bulldogs with 19 homers in 2012 and hit seven during the 2010 season.
Sara Mosley and Lacey Fincher lead these Bulldogs with 16 home runs each, followed by Kearney's 15, Sydney Kuma has 12, and Jaiden Fields and Ellie Armistead have 10 apiece.
"I think now more than ever it has felt more fun," Fincher said of hitting home runs. "Growing up, I took softball so seriously, and everything I did, I would get mad if I wasn't hitting home runs.
"This year, I've tried to do a good job of trying to keep the fun in it. I know it's my last year and so being able to just get out there and have fun with my teammates and my friends, it means a lot to me."
Fincher and Kuma paced Georgia last season with 15 and Chambley had 11. Mosley has not only hit 10 more homers than she did in 2021, she's also raised her average from .258 last season to a team-high .424 this season.
"I wouldn't say that there's a surprise, but people have elevated their games as we had hoped," Baldwin said. "Jayda Kearney has really had a wonderful season and has been a mainstay there in the middle of the lineup. Jaiden Fields has taken her game a step forward.
"Sara Mosley is obviously in the middle of having a wonderful season. It's been in her all along and her first year, the COVID year (2020), she was off to an outstanding start. Last year was more of the one-off type of year for her, more than this is. I feel like she's just a really, really good hitter, and she's probably taken the biggest step forward, but it's not really a surprise."
All of those dingers have produced a lot of runs, yes, and Georgia leads the SEC with 380 runs scored, but they've probably produced even more joy. Every homer is a feel-good moment: for the batter, her teammates on the bases, and the teammates in the dugout that celebrate with unbridled enthusiasm.
"Once I round the bases, it brings me so much joy seeing my team in the dugout happy for me," Kuma said earlier this season. "And it brings me even more happiness that they're happy for me, if that makes sense. It's way different than any other sport — in softball and baseball, we get to have that moment to ourselves; we get to live through that moment for a good while as we round the bases."
The first of the 100 home runs so far this season came in the season opener at UCF, on Feb. 10. In the third inning, Chambley sent a two-run shot over the wall in left field. In the fourth inning, Fields blasted her first of the season, also a two-run shot.
Georgia went without a homer in its next two games, but in the fourth game of the season, against Fresno State, Mosley (a three-run bomb) and Fincher went deep in the first inning. In game seven, against Delaware in Georgia's home opener on Feb. 18, the Bulldogs belted four bombs: Mosley hit a three-run shot in the first, Armistead went yard in the second and the sixth, and Chambley also homered in the sixth.
And with that, the flood gates were open. Georgia has hit at least one home run in the past 16 games, and 13 of those were multi-homer games. Out of 54 games this season, the Bulldogs have failed to hit a home run just seven times.
Georgia wraps up its regular season Sunday. It's a chance to take the series against the Rebels, a chance to head into the postseason on a positive note, and, of course, a chance to spread some joy by belting some more balls out of the park.
Staff Writer
Jayda Kearney delivered the record-tying blast in the bottom of the first inning Saturday, sending a three-run homer far beyond the wall in center field at Jack Turner Stadium. A couple of hours later, in the bottom of the seventh, she belted a grand slam that sent the 2022 Georgia softball team into the history books.
Are these the Bash Bulldogs? The Bulldog Bombers? Something much better than either of those two nicknames, hopefully? Call them what you want, these power-packed Bulldogs are the most prolific sluggers in school history. Kearney's first shot in Georgia's 10-8 loss to Ole Miss tied the previous single-season record of 99, set by the 2010 squad, and her final homer set the new mark at 100.
"It's a lot of fun," Kearney said earlier this week of being on a team that's hitting so many home runs. "It's a great environment and everyone's rooting for everyone, so it's really exciting, especially seeing how many we're hitting."
Georgia is the first SEC team to hit 100 homers in a season since Tennessee did it in 2015. And in so doing, the Bulldogs made head coach Tony Baldwin look pretty smart. In an interview on Thursday, Baldwin said he told some folks before the season that he "thought this was a team that could hit a 100 home runs." Georgia hit 83 homers last season, so it's not like this power surge is out of nowhere.
The potential for a lot of power isn't the same as producing a lot of power, of course.
"You've got to go play the game," Baldwin said. "To do that, we were going to have to have some people raise their ability to contribute. And as it's worked out, we've had that."
Led by six sluggers with 10 or more home runs this season, Georgia (40-14, 12-11 SEC) on Saturday reached 100 in 54 games, passing the total of 99 that the 2010 squad reached in 63, a season that ended at the College World Series.
"I'm cool with records falling & balls being sent to the pines ...," former Georgia All-American Kristyn Sandberg tweeted Saturday afternoon. Sandberg led the Bulldogs with 19 homers in 2012 and hit seven during the 2010 season.
Sara Mosley and Lacey Fincher lead these Bulldogs with 16 home runs each, followed by Kearney's 15, Sydney Kuma has 12, and Jaiden Fields and Ellie Armistead have 10 apiece.
"I think now more than ever it has felt more fun," Fincher said of hitting home runs. "Growing up, I took softball so seriously, and everything I did, I would get mad if I wasn't hitting home runs.
"This year, I've tried to do a good job of trying to keep the fun in it. I know it's my last year and so being able to just get out there and have fun with my teammates and my friends, it means a lot to me."
Fincher and Kuma paced Georgia last season with 15 and Chambley had 11. Mosley has not only hit 10 more homers than she did in 2021, she's also raised her average from .258 last season to a team-high .424 this season.
"I wouldn't say that there's a surprise, but people have elevated their games as we had hoped," Baldwin said. "Jayda Kearney has really had a wonderful season and has been a mainstay there in the middle of the lineup. Jaiden Fields has taken her game a step forward.
"Sara Mosley is obviously in the middle of having a wonderful season. It's been in her all along and her first year, the COVID year (2020), she was off to an outstanding start. Last year was more of the one-off type of year for her, more than this is. I feel like she's just a really, really good hitter, and she's probably taken the biggest step forward, but it's not really a surprise."
All of those dingers have produced a lot of runs, yes, and Georgia leads the SEC with 380 runs scored, but they've probably produced even more joy. Every homer is a feel-good moment: for the batter, her teammates on the bases, and the teammates in the dugout that celebrate with unbridled enthusiasm.
"Once I round the bases, it brings me so much joy seeing my team in the dugout happy for me," Kuma said earlier this season. "And it brings me even more happiness that they're happy for me, if that makes sense. It's way different than any other sport — in softball and baseball, we get to have that moment to ourselves; we get to live through that moment for a good while as we round the bases."
The first of the 100 home runs so far this season came in the season opener at UCF, on Feb. 10. In the third inning, Chambley sent a two-run shot over the wall in left field. In the fourth inning, Fields blasted her first of the season, also a two-run shot.
Georgia went without a homer in its next two games, but in the fourth game of the season, against Fresno State, Mosley (a three-run bomb) and Fincher went deep in the first inning. In game seven, against Delaware in Georgia's home opener on Feb. 18, the Bulldogs belted four bombs: Mosley hit a three-run shot in the first, Armistead went yard in the second and the sixth, and Chambley also homered in the sixth.
And with that, the flood gates were open. Georgia has hit at least one home run in the past 16 games, and 13 of those were multi-homer games. Out of 54 games this season, the Bulldogs have failed to hit a home run just seven times.
Georgia wraps up its regular season Sunday. It's a chance to take the series against the Rebels, a chance to head into the postseason on a positive note, and, of course, a chance to spread some joy by belting some more balls out of the park.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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