Mo’ne Davis reflects on shortened freshman softball season at Hampton University, 2014 Little League World Series run on ‘Inquirer Live at Lunch’

Mo’ne Davis doesn’t remember everything from her shutout victory against Nashville in the Little League World Series in 2014. The Philadelphia native only recently rewatched the historic game in March.

Davis revealed as much on Inquirer Live at Lunch Monday while discussing her team’s LLWS run to the brink of the U.S. championship game, how life has changed in nearly six years since 2014 and how she is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic in Philadelphia after finishing her freshman year at Hampton (Va.) University.

“That was the first time I watched the game fully through,” Davis said. “I didn’t remember [the first through fifth innings] at all. The last inning is the one I remember the most.”

The 2014 Little League World Series catapulted Davis into stardom as the first African-American girl to play in the organization’s history, and she didn’t disappoint. Her most notable performance for South Philadelphia’s Taney Dragons came against Nashville in a shutout effort. At 13, Davis pitched a complete game, struck out eight batters and allowed just two hits.

That summer in Williamsport launched her to celebrity status. Her face was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, she had interviews and appearances on the biggest platforms and participated in the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony with Barack and Michelle Obama.

“None of that really hit me until I went on ESPN and you see my face, and it was just like, ‘Wow,'" Davis said. “That was crazy.”

Davis is now playing softball at Hampton University. As a freshman, she started all 19 games at second base while batting .333 with eight RBIs and five stolen bases. Hampton had one of its best starts in program history with a 15-4 record.

“Next year we will make those numbers increase,” Davis said.

Her first dream was to play basketball at UConn, where Maya Moore was her favorite player growing up. The NCAA notably cited UConn for minor violations for head coach Geno Auriemma contacting Davis during the 2014 LLWS.

“If you want to be in the WNBA, your dream is to go to UConn, because UConn is one of the best women’s basketball programs around,” Davis said. “I started losing interest [and] love for the game [of basketball] and I just wasn’t having fun for like two years of high school.”

Davis continued playing basketball until her senior year of high school at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, but a sprained ankle allowed her time to evaluate the best decision for her future. She chose softball.

“I was scared to tell my parents and coach that’s what I wanted to do because they put all these hours into taking me to different basketball tournaments and spending tons of money to go all over the country to play,” Davis said.

Davis’ life has more normalcy today. Upon the Taney Dragons’ return to Philadelphia in 2014, the team had to be escorted by police officers due to its high profile. The Dragons were greeted by fans at City Hall, had a parade, and Davis threw out the first pitch at a Phillies game.

Now at 18 years old, Davis enjoys the comforts of attending a historically black college/university (HBCU) and pursuing her undergraduate degree in communications.

“Now that I go to an HBCU, I always encourage my friends from high school to look at an HBCU because you’ll actually enjoy it,” she said. “I just have a lot of fun being around people that you can relate to but different backgrounds, it’s pretty cool. I would say my favorite thing is definitely homecoming. That’s just a different atmosphere.”

Davis isn’t tipping her hand about her future plans in communications, but she has aspirations to work in the TV business one day after graduation.

“I want to do a lot,” she said. “I want to have a TV show ... just having fun with it for athletes. I really don’t know [exactly what I want to do], but I do have an idea.”

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