Kelsey Burden, the outstanding infielder with the Lady Dukes 18U flagship team coached by James Lamar, has committed to Georgia.

She committed to the Bulldogs yesterday (Saturday) while on her campus visit to the SEC school.

“I just felt like Georgia was the right fit for me,” the athlete told Line Drive Media’s Brentt Eads just now.

“I really liked the coaches, the team, and the whole environment. I feel like I can be myself there, grow as a player, and get a great education too. It just felt right, and I could really see myself being happy there for the next five years.”

One key factor, Kelsey noted, was her future school’s distance from home. The University of Georgia campus in Athens, Ga. is a three hour and 15 minute drive–a manageable commute for family and herself, she believes.

The 2028 grad’s father, Tony Burden, is a top coach in the Lady Dukes organization and has HOT 100 players on his 16U team as well.

Naturally, he’s thrilled that his talented daughter has found her future college home.

“I’m excited!” he began. “I know how hard Kelsey has worked to get to this point. Watching her find a place where she feels comfortable, challenged, supported, and happy means everything to my wife and me.”

“I’m excited to watch her grow, not just as a softball player, but as a young woman. I know this is the beginning of a whole new chapter, and I’m just grateful God has allowed us to be here for it!”

Highly ranked and heavily recruited, Kelsey turned down a visit to Alabama in the first week of September to visit Cal. Other visits were being planned to top programs like Duke, Auburn, Florida, Arizona and Indiana which now have been canceled with her commit to UGA.

Here’s a social media post of the father/daughter softball combo:

On Sept. 7, 2026, Kelsey was announced at being No. 3 in the 2028 HOT 100… here’s how her bio read:

T-3—Kelsey Burden, SS/UT, Lady Dukes 18U – Lamar
Kelsey is a franchise-type middle infielder with elite defensive instincts, range, speed, and proven game production. A natural shortstop, she has the hands, quickness and softball IQ to make an immediate impact defensively while providing consistent offense and aggressive baserunning. As a freshman at Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.) High in 2025, she showed her great speed by going 25-for-26 in steals and helped her team win the Alabama 7A state championship. She was subsequently named as the State Tournament MVP. Kelsey had another strong prep campaign this year as she batted .511 with a 1.259 OPS and had 71 hits, 65 runs with 52 RBIs. Kelsey, daughter of Lady Dukes club head coach Tony Burden, was also named 7A 1^st Team All-State this year. She’s also excelled on the club side and was a key component of her winning a PGF 14U National Championship.

The infielder is Georgia’s second commit and both are Top 3 in the HOT 100 rankings; the other was outfielder Peyton Ushery of Athletics Gold 18U – Tamborra   who committed to Georgia on Sept. 1 and was the first major 2028 to commit once the live period started.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Media