With the COVID-19 outbreak forcing the cancelation of all high school spring sports, local seniors were forced to deal with the abrupt reality that their prep careers were over. A group of these student-athletes were members of the Cincinnati Reds RBI program, many of who were also regulars at the P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy over the years. With our Senior Spotlight Series, the Reds want to recognize these players for their efforts and wish them well in their future endeavors, both on and off the field.

Notre Dame Academy senior Kayari Suganuma never had the opportunity to suit up with her Cincinnati RBI teammates, but she wouldn’t trade in her limited experience.

When she joined RBI, Suganuma had already selected Hillsdale College to be her home for the next four years. Wanting to play for a local team and keep her softball skills finely tuned before heading to school, she felt RBI was the right fit. Suganuma was excited for the summer season, but because of the pandemic, her RBI tenure was limited to a couple of months of practices and team activities.

“I met a player from RBI at a college, so that’s how I got involved,” Suganuma said. “When I came to practice, I just loved the team. I enjoyed the interaction with my teammates. I got really close to them and I was always looking forward to seeing them. Even though it was only a couple months, I was able to have a year’s worth of experiences with the team.”

Before joining RBI, Suganuma was well on her way to playing college softball. She had been getting looks at Notre Dame Academy, where she was excelling on the field. As a junior, she posted a .600 average with 45 hits, both marks falling just shy of the Notre Dame Academy record. Coming into the spring, Suganuma had her sights set on toppling both, but she never got the chance.

“I was disappointed because it was my senior year and the last chance to set a school record, but I knew I was going to play in college, so I wasn’t as disappointed as the other girls who wouldn’t get to play again,” Suganuma said.

When she joined the Ohio Stingrays last summer, Suganuma found herself on more college radars. As more coaches saw her play, advancing her softball career to the collegiate level became a legitimate possibility. It was Suganuma’s Stingrays coach who got her in touch with Kyle Gross, the softball coach at Hillsdale.

Suganuma had been looking for a school that would offer both competitive academics and athletics. Hearing from coach Gross was all she needed to choose Hillsdale.

“The key factor is when coach [Gross] told me that all girls have this mindset of ‘Getting a B is a failure,’ which showed how much they care about the academics there,” Suganuma said.

Many student-athletes might hear that message from a coach and run for the hills, but Suganuma has never shied away from challenges; she seeks them out.

“I feel like I’m actually living when I am under pressure and challenged,” Suganuma said. “I always like to push myself instead of just waiting for the days to pass.”

With a mindset centered around pushing herself, it should come as no surprise that Suganuma plans to be a pre-med major. That's not the easiest field of study to balance with being a softball player, but that’s exactly how she wants it.

“I’ve always been interested in being a doctor, and I know that I’ll strive under huge pressure and responsibilities,” Suganuma said.

Suganuma has confidence in herself, but that’s not to say she doesn’t have her moments of doubt. It’s times like these when she thinks about her baseball role model, Ichiro Suzuki, for inspiration.

“His passion, hard work and commitment is at another level, and whenever I feel like quitting, I can tell myself that I have not tried as much as Ichiro did,” Suganuma said.