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Breaking News: First Major D1 Commit As Recruiting Contact Period Opens for 2028's (Sept. 1, 2026)

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September 1, 2026

Breaking News: First Major D1 Commit As Recruiting Contact Period Opens for 2028's (Sept. 1, 2026)

Peyton Ushery will stay in the Peach State to play college softball.

Well ,that didn’t take long.

We have our first major D1 verbal commit as of today, September 1, being the kickoff of the recruiting period opening up for college coaches to speak directly to Class of 2028 potential prospects.

And the winner of “The Fastest Commit Out of the Gate on Sept. 1” award comes to Peyton Ushery, the tremendous outfielder from the Peach State who pulled the trigger today to commit to the in-state Georgia Bulldogs.

You may have heard of UG… it plays in this upcoming conference called “the SEC.”

Last year, Peyton was ranked No. 2 in the Line Drive Media 2028 HOT 100 and she’ll also be in the Top 5 of the updated rankings that come out this Friday.

Her club head coach, Stacy Tamborra with the Athletics Gold 18U premier team, told Line Drive Media’s Brentt Eads this afternoon:

Peyton is obviously an elite athlete but beyond her ability on the field she is a deeply relational young lady.

Kind, thoughtful and deeply loyal.

Since losing her dad (Tony), home and family have become even more important to Peyton.

Tony was born and raised in Georgia and loved all Georgia sports, so there is something meaningful about her representing their home state.

Univ. of Georgia Associate Head Coach J.T.D’Amico lost his father at a young age like Peyton did.

The relationship with Georgia has also been building for a long time.

Their coaches were at nearly every game, even (Associate Head) Coach JT (D’Amico) standing behind her in the outfield watching her.

When he shared that he had also lost his dad at a young age, Peyton felt an even deeper connection with him.

(Bulldogs Head) Coach (Tony) Baldwin faithfully showed up to simply support her and (Assistant) Coach (Mike) Davenport a consistent friendly face in the stands.

Between the campus, being close to home, the way the coaches consistently showed up for her and Georgia making her the very first call at 2 p.m., it felt like everything had been pulling her toward UGA.

Here’s the X.com announcement Peyton posted with the last hour (as we post this story):

This, to be honest, wasn’t a big surprise as it was known by insiders that Georgia was the strong, strong favorite.

And, boy, are the Bulldogs getting a great one. 

Arguably the top outfielder in the class, Peyton had a tremendous summer hitting .453 with a .498 on-base percentage and an OPS of 1.359.

She smacked 17 home runs with 59 RBIs for Stacy Tamborra’s 18U Athletics Gold team and also stole 33 bases.

In other words, Peyton be very, very good.

Her list of honors is lengthy and includes:

  • Lassister High Offensive Player of the Year
    • note: the 2026 season is being played right now
  • Region 6-5A Player of the Year
  • GACA First Team All-State — 2024 & 2025
  • All-Region — 2024 & 2025
  • All-Cobb County — 2024 & 2025
  • GACA All-Star — 2026
  • Colorado Sparkler All-Star — 2026
  • PGF Nationals All-Tournament Team — 2025
  • Three-run walk-off home run to win the P5 Championship in Colorado

 

Peyton has hit for the cycle with a grand slam being the home run, has the speed to have hit multiple inside-the-park home runs and from her positions in the grass has robbed home runs defensively from center field

Coach Tamborra says:

Peyton’s photo from August 2025 when she was ranked by Line Drive Media as No. 2 in the Class of 2028.

“Peyton Ushery is an elite power-speed center fielder whose combination of offensive production, range, athleticism and game-changing speed makes her a strong High School All-American and Line Drive Hot 100 candidate.”

“She’s a  natural right-handed hitter who transitioned to the left side and has developed into a dangerous left-handed offensive threat capable of impacting the game in multiple ways.”

“Her 33 extra-base hits demonstrate that she is no longer simply a speed player — she has developed legitimate game-changing power.”

“Her speed also remains an elite tool. Peyton has been timed at 2.70 seconds from home to first and has consistently produced high stolen-base totals, including 35 during her 2025 high school season.

“She uses that same closing speed defensively in center field, allowing her to cover significant ground, track balls into both gaps and make impact plays including diving catches and home-run robberies.”

Peyton is also a Bruce Bolt Next in Line Athlete and was selected as one of a limited group of athletes nationally to represent the brand.

She is known for her competitiveness and personality as much as her athletic ability. Nicknamed “Payday,” she brings energy to her teammates while maintaining an aggressive, confident style of play.

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