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.