University of Georgia Athletics
Kearney, Kuma Garner NFCA All-America Honors
May 31, 2023 | Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY – University of Georgia softball student-athletes Jayda Kearney and Sydney Kuma have been named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Teams, it was announced Wednesday evening.
Kearney, a junior from Columbus, New Jersey, has earned First Team All-America honors as an outfielder while Kuma, a senior from Fresno, California, was named Third Team All-America as a second baseman.
"I am so excited for Jayda and Sydney to be recognized for their season," head coach Tony Baldwin said. "They bring a lot of joy to our program and are both fantastic student-athletes. I'm proud of all the work they put in this year and am excited to see them continue to grow."
The pair become the 23rd and 24th Bulldogs to earn All-America status in the history of the program. In all, Georgia softball has garnered 37 NFCA All-America honors. Kearney becomes Georgia's first First Team honoree since Alex Hugo in 2014 and only the seventh all-time at Georgia. This is the first season Georgia has had multiple All-America honors in back-to-back seasons since 2014 and 2015.
Kearney finished the season hitting .365 and led the team with 19 home runs and an .799 slugging percentage. Her 19 homers ranked tied for seventh in a single season while her slugging percentage finished ninth-best in a season. Her 47 runs scored co-led the team. She drew 34 walks en route to a team-best .477 on base clip.
Nationally, Kearney's 19 home runs finished seventh in the country in 2023. She finished in the top 25 in home runs, home runs per game, slugging, and total bases.
Kuma led Georgia hitters with a .379 batting average. She driven in 49 runs and knocked 12 home runs this season while slugging .706. Kuma started every game for the Bulldogs at second base this season.
Aside from her offense, Kuma flashed the leather this season and concluded with a .971 fielding percentage, committing just six errors at second. She recorded 109 putouts with 95 assist, each the most in her career in a single season.
Georgia finished the 2023 season 42-15, ending the season in the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament. Team 27 adds two All-Americans to five All-Region and six All-SEC honors this season and will appear in the final Top 25 for the 10th-consecutive season.
Kearney, a junior from Columbus, New Jersey, has earned First Team All-America honors as an outfielder while Kuma, a senior from Fresno, California, was named Third Team All-America as a second baseman.
"I am so excited for Jayda and Sydney to be recognized for their season," head coach Tony Baldwin said. "They bring a lot of joy to our program and are both fantastic student-athletes. I'm proud of all the work they put in this year and am excited to see them continue to grow."
The pair become the 23rd and 24th Bulldogs to earn All-America status in the history of the program. In all, Georgia softball has garnered 37 NFCA All-America honors. Kearney becomes Georgia's first First Team honoree since Alex Hugo in 2014 and only the seventh all-time at Georgia. This is the first season Georgia has had multiple All-America honors in back-to-back seasons since 2014 and 2015.
Kearney finished the season hitting .365 and led the team with 19 home runs and an .799 slugging percentage. Her 19 homers ranked tied for seventh in a single season while her slugging percentage finished ninth-best in a season. Her 47 runs scored co-led the team. She drew 34 walks en route to a team-best .477 on base clip.
Nationally, Kearney's 19 home runs finished seventh in the country in 2023. She finished in the top 25 in home runs, home runs per game, slugging, and total bases.
Kuma led Georgia hitters with a .379 batting average. She driven in 49 runs and knocked 12 home runs this season while slugging .706. Kuma started every game for the Bulldogs at second base this season.
Aside from her offense, Kuma flashed the leather this season and concluded with a .971 fielding percentage, committing just six errors at second. She recorded 109 putouts with 95 assist, each the most in her career in a single season.
Georgia finished the 2023 season 42-15, ending the season in the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament. Team 27 adds two All-Americans to five All-Region and six All-SEC honors this season and will appear in the final Top 25 for the 10th-consecutive season.
Players Mentioned
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