Getting to know Tory Yamaguchi

Published on June 29, 2009 under National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
Philadelphia Force News Release


So we know that you can probably find out her basics: Tory is in her second year in the NPF, graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a B.A. in psychology, and even more recently a master's in kinesiology. She is from Woodland Hills, Calif., but currently resides in Bloomington having just finished her master's and volunteer-coaching her alma mater. What are the other things about Tory that make her the hard worker, and great teammate that she is? Let's delve a little into what she is really about, shall we?

Tory's career aspiration is to be a coach at the collegiate level. She has considered both going back to California to pursue this dream, or even would take a shot at a program in the Big Ten Conference. She has volunteered with the Hoosiers, and feels she has learned a lot from it.

"There's a lot I have learned from this past year of coaching that I will take with me this summer," said Tory. "The new head coach at Indiana is Michelle Gardner, she came from Nevada, and she's been to both Regionals and the World Series. It was very good to learn from her, work with her side-by-side, with pitch calling and all that."

It's also been tough at times for Tory switching from the player to coaching position.

"Being in the coach's box is very different; it's very difficult," said Tory. "You don't have control over things you use to have control over. You're trying to help the other girls, and sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't, because you're basically the same age as them. It's weird."

Tory has not had the easiest road in softball, but it has not slowed her down. Having red shirted both her freshman and junior years in college, she has known what it is like to really consider what she would do without softball.

"I have been through a lot in my softball career: two red shirts, lots of coaching changes, and it's still all about the love of the game for me. I love it, so I stuck with it. When I got sick my red shirt junior year, I didn't think that I'd ever recover from it. Something people may not know is that I almost died from it."

After all of that, it has never crossed her mind to stop playing.

"No. I have never thought about giving up the game," she very plainly said, and without hesitation. "If someone told me tomorrow was my last day I'd probably start crying. Uh, that's crazy," she said, almost shivering with the thought.

Let's look into some other things: what is Tory like off the field? What does she do, listen to, what are her favorite workouts? The answers are all here.

Favorite: Exercise: "My favorite exercise is to go out for a run. Other than that I enjoy doing ab stuff. My least favorite exercise is sprinting! I'd rather jog than sprint."

Music: "My favorite type of music is pretty much everything. I like old stuff, I like new stuff. I like country, I like rock, some hip-hop, I like random 80s music. If someone grabbed my iPod their reaction would probably be, ‘who is this weirdo?' When I work out I listen to things that will keep running. Like Matchbox 20, stuff that will energize me a little more."

TV show: "My favorite TV show is Little House on the Prairie. It's always so homely, everything always ends so nicely, there's always a happy ending. It's sweet."

Baseball teams: "I enjoy the Chicago Cubs. I'm from the Los Angeles area so I grew up loving the Dodgers, and the Braves. I'm a National League kind of person."

Dessert: "If calories didn't exist, my favorite dessert would be brownies with vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup on top."

If she was on Survivor: "My one luxury item would be a pillow, because I enjoy sleeping on soft things."

Tory is one of those players you want to get to know. She is a good person, has a good heart, and genuinely loves the game. She has good chemistry with her pitchers, and doesn't always need to tell them what they have done wrong.

"When a pitcher's left a pitch hanging, as a catcher I usually call a timeout, or call out their name," she explained. "They know that I know that we have to do better."

She also has big hopes for what the league will be like in 10 to 15 years.

"I think [the NPF] will be bigger and better," she said. "I think that only good things are going to come from this: more fans, more following and more money."

Keep an eye on Tory all season long for big things to come. She is working hard along with the rest of the Philadelphia Force to make this program a powerhouse for years to come.

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National Pro Fastpitch Stories from June 29, 2009


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