The 2018 season marks the fourth year for Kehaulani Yamaguchi with the Chaminade University softball coaching staff. Since 2017, she has been the team's pitching coach after serving as an assistant pitching coach her first two years. She also serves as the psychology coach.
“Kehau” is no stranger to the Silversword program. She played softball for Chaminade from 2002-06, under head coach Walter Ka‘aihili her first three years and her senior season for current head coach Kent Yamaguchi. The former shortstop was a four-time member of the All-Pacific West Conference Academic Team during her playing days. She graduated from CUH cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Science where she was the department’s Most Outstanding Graduate in 2006. She also earned her Master of Science in Counseling Psychology in 2009 at Chaminade.
Yamaguchi remained in the sport after her collegiate playing days, serving as pitching coach for the Kamehameha-Kapalama softball team, whose head coach was her sister, Aloha, from 2009-13. She was also an assistant coach for her high school alma mater, University Laboratory School, for one year.
Yamaguchi is currently a Behavioral Science Manager at Bayada Habilitation, where she’s been for the last four years. Prior to Bayada, she was a Behavior Specialist at Nursefinders.
A four-time All-Interscholastic League of Honolulu selection at UH Lab School, Yamaguchi earned first team honors in her junior and senior seasons, was a second-team pick as a sophomore and was on the honorable mention team as a freshman. She was an infielder for the Junior ’Bows and also pitched, tossing a no-hitter her senior year.
Like Yamaguchi, the entire family has softball in their blood. Her father, Kent, is the program’s all-time winningest coach while her mother, Vanessa, is the team’s administrative assistant. Her uncle, Dean, was the Silverswords' No. 1 assistant and infield coach from 2005-16. Kehau Yamaguchi has three sisters, all of whom played softball; Aloha at the University of the Pacific; Kea at the University of Hawai‘i-Manoa; and Iwalani, who also played at Chaminade.
