In recent years, the multi-sport athlete has become a rare breed in collegiate athletics. However, one of the advantages of going to a NCAA Division III school is that there is more opportunity to play multiple sports.
As a junior at Pacific University, Kylee Oshiro has become one of the many multi-sport athletes. Already a member of the Pacific Softball Team, Oshiro decided over the summer to come out for volleyball.
“It was always one of my goals to be a two sport athlete in college,” said Oshiro. “That’s kind of why I came to a DIII because I knew it was possible.”
Oshiro’s collegiate career path hasn’t been one of a typical athlete but includes one of the highest honors in sports.
In high school, Oshiro had played both softball and volleyball.
For college she decided to stick with softball since it was the first sport she had started playing.
For her freshman year, Oshiro attended fellow Northwest Conference competitor, Pacific Lutheran University, and became an NCAA Division III National Champion as a member of the Lutes’ softball team.
Even though she won a National Championship, Oshiro did not fully enjoy the college atmosphere as a Lute.
“I liked the softball girls and I had a lot of fun with them, but that’s all my life was,” said Oshiro.
“As well as we did for softball, nobody at the school really knew who was on the team. It wasn’t like here [at Pacific] where all the sports teams know each other and support each other,” said Oshiro.
So, for her sophomore year, she transferred to Pacific.
In the 2013 softball season, Oshiro earned the Boxers’ starting catcher position and was named to the All-NWC First Team while having the second highest batting average on the team with .351.
Once softball season was finished, Oshiro got the drive to play volleyball again because of her participation in open gym volleyball games.Now as a junior, Oshiro has become a year-round athlete.
However, since volleyball is during the fall season, she has been missing out on fall training for softball.
Pacific Softball Head Coach, Tim Hill, told Oshiro that she’s not allowed to touch anything softball related because if she’s going to play volleyball, she has to be committed to it. That hasn’t stopped Oshiro from going to meetings and watching scrimmages to support her teammates.
Being a year-round student athlete has not been too much of a problem for Oshiro so far, even though she is taking 17 credits this semester.
“It’s not too bad. It’s like having your spring season just in the fall,” said Oshiro. “You’re always practicing so you know how to manage your time. It’s just that you’re doing it more.”
Oshiro acknowledged the risks of playing more than one sport but feels that it’s something to stay involved in.
“I feel bad because I do miss out on fall ball, but it makes me more motivated to work harder right before softball season,” said Oshiro. “I think DIII gives you the opportunity to do it.”
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