Tsuchiyama joins the Fullerton support staff after completing
her tenure as a four-year starter behind the dish under Ford. She
will assume the responsibilities of assisting in organizing
day-to-day operations while attending staff meetings and keeping up
with technological advances to better benefit the program.
"Ariel is a one in-a-million addition to our staff," added Ford.
"As a student-athlete here at Fullerton, she was our leader both on
and off the field. Her maturity and knowledge of the game will
bring valuable player insight into our office. Ariel will be behind
the scenes aiding us in our vision to take Titan softball to a
higher level. We are fortunate to have her make this transition
from student-athlete to staff."
After being selected on the All-Big West Second Team twice over
her career (2011, 2013), Tsuchiyama found herself as a member of
the first team in 2014 after her last campaign as a Titan. Batting
from the left side, she amassed a whopping 204 starts in 206 games
over her career as a catcher, highlighting her tenure with a top-10
fielding percentage (.990) among the Fullerton record books.
While attending Fullerton from 2010-14, Tsuchiyama earned a
Bachelor of Arts in journalism with a minor in kinesiology. She was
a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and also
briefly worked with "Titan Sports Recap," an on-campus television
show dedicated to covering Cal State Fullerton
athletics.
Over the summer, Tsuchiyama traveled to Italy to participate in
the 2014 European Cup. Competing on the Italian Forli Softball
Club, the seven-day event was held in the cities of Porpetto and
Ronchi dei Legionari from Sept. 1-6. Tsuchiyama led Forli to a 7-2
record and a third place finish in the tournament. In seven games,
she registered a .500 batting average (10-for-20), scoring five
runs while collecting four RBIs and three triples.