UCLA softball coach Kelly Inouye-Perez inspiring new generation of AAPI athletes
"As a leader, as a female leader, as a mom, as a wife, I'm very proud to be able to represent that you can do it all," she said.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Kelly Inouye-Perez first stepped onto a softball field in 1989 and hasn't left Westwood since.
Inouye-Perez just completed her 17th year as UCLA Head Softball Coach and she continues to mold the next generation of student-athletes, paving the way for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in the sport she's dedicated her life to.
"I mean, I'm proud," she told Eyewitness News. "There's not many people when I grew up playing this sport that looked like me and I think with that, the sport has grown. As you see, our team, we are very diverse. We have Bruins all over the world that have come from different backgrounds"
She started her softball journey as a catcher and helped the program win its first three national titles.
The UCLA softball team has won 12 national titles and Inouye-Perez has been a part of every single championship, either as a player or a coach.
"My job is to be able to represent with class all the Bruins that helped build this program that came before me to be able to bring in the same type of Bruins that can represent this program, represent in the classroom, represent out here on the field and in the community and ultimately have a blast during their experience," she said. "The goal is to win a natty but that's not the only thing that defines a UCLA Bruin."
What's been the recipe for success in Westwood that keeps attracting the best players in the nation? Treating everyone like family.
"Coach Inouye is really big about having a relationship with each player," said Jordan Woolery, who was named the 2023 Pac-12 Softball Freshman of the Year. "Like he always says, 'Come in and turn right,' because her office is right. Being able to talk to her about anything like her being your mom away from home is a big part."
Last year, Inouye-Perez received the biggest honor a Bruin can get: she was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame.
"I've been here a long time to see the Gail Devers and the Flo-Jos, [Coach John Wooden] is a friend of mine and he was a mentor of mine and I know all these hall of famers and I know how phenomenal they are," said Inouye-Perez. "They are my family but to be able to join that family of elite, I can get emotional."
Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts - also a UCLA Bruin and a good friend of Inouye-Perez's - are both leading the way for AAPI community, showing people they can succeed in sports.
"I'm proud for all those little girls out there that aren't sure if softball is something that an Asian American would do as a leader, as a female leader, as a mom, as a wife, I'm very proud to be able to represent that you can do it all," said Inouye-Perez.
