I went to Chico, California, and was truly honored to have met a woman, Eri Yoshida who is the first female ever to play professional baseball in three countries. She is 5'1” and can throw a mean knuckle ball at about 63 mph. She is known as the "knuckle princess" and mentioned in her interview that she doesn't like the name simply because she doesn't feel that she deserves the title.
Three words I would use to describe Eri would be sweet, passionate and humble. After watching her batting practice and warm up, I was granted the opportunity to interview the Chico Outlaws coach, Garry Templeton. It was great to hear his story on how he found Eri and what he thinks of her as a ball player.
The fans were spectacular! The stands were filled with very loud cheering fans that not only respected Eri as a female who has inspired many women, but they all admired her dedication and humble nature. Eri's charismatic persona attracts tons of fans, who were all waiting for her after the game.
She was very excited to do the interview and reminded me that her goal is to play ball in the MLB, she doesn't want to be praised until she fulfills that goal.
We then spoke about how she prepares before the game and also about some of the jokes her teammates play on her. She told that before each game she has a different handshake with each teammate. My favorite part of the interview was when she created a unique handshake for us. It was also really cool when we brought in her catcher, Robby Alcombrack, and did an interview with him as well. They also did their pre-game 'handshake' and then Robby and I debated on who had the cooler handshake with Miss Eri.
So while I think Eri and I have the coolest handshake thus far, I know I’m going to keep track of her performance. She is truly and inspiration to me and has showed me that a Nike woman can do it all!
-Gevrina
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