SB | Gaels Add Sayuri Yamane to Staff as Player Development Coordinator
4/10/2026 9:00:00 AM | Softball
MORAGA, Calif. — As just announced by Saint Mary's head softball coach Sonja Garnett, Sayuri Yamane has been added to the Gaels' coaching staff as the Player Development Coordinator. A long-time standout pitcher in her home nation of Japan, Yamane will now look to impart her knowledge on the game with the student-athletes on the Gaels to prepare for success on the field.
"We are thrilled to add an international star like Sayuri to our team." noted head coach Sonja Garnett, "She brings a wealth of experience and perspective to our program, and has fit in nicely."
Yamane spent 10 years pitching in the Japan Softball League, the top league in the country of Japan. Eight of those years were spent with Toyota Motor Company, where she led her team to five league titles, including three straight from 2010-12. In 2014, she was named the best pitcher in the JSL.
While dominating the professional ranks in the circle, Yamane also had the distinct honor of representing her home country in numerous international tournaments. This storied international career included gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games and the 2014 Softball World Championships, as well as silver medals in the 2007 U-19 World Championships, and the 2010 and 2016 Softball World Championships.
As a coach, Yamane has spent the last five years as an assistant coach for Chukyo University, helping her team to a national title in 2023 and a runner up finish in 2024. She also served as an assistant coach for Team Japan in the 2024 Asian Universities Softball Asia Cup, featuring a gold medal finish in that tournament.
In her new role with the Gaels, Sayuri will help Garnett with the assessment and development of the Gaels' pitching staff.
#GaelsRise
"We are thrilled to add an international star like Sayuri to our team." noted head coach Sonja Garnett, "She brings a wealth of experience and perspective to our program, and has fit in nicely."
Yamane spent 10 years pitching in the Japan Softball League, the top league in the country of Japan. Eight of those years were spent with Toyota Motor Company, where she led her team to five league titles, including three straight from 2010-12. In 2014, she was named the best pitcher in the JSL.
While dominating the professional ranks in the circle, Yamane also had the distinct honor of representing her home country in numerous international tournaments. This storied international career included gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games and the 2014 Softball World Championships, as well as silver medals in the 2007 U-19 World Championships, and the 2010 and 2016 Softball World Championships.
As a coach, Yamane has spent the last five years as an assistant coach for Chukyo University, helping her team to a national title in 2023 and a runner up finish in 2024. She also served as an assistant coach for Team Japan in the 2024 Asian Universities Softball Asia Cup, featuring a gold medal finish in that tournament.
In her new role with the Gaels, Sayuri will help Garnett with the assessment and development of the Gaels' pitching staff.
#GaelsRise
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