South Carolina Designated Player Hannah Kumiyama Retiring from Softball

South Carolina designated player Hannah Kumiyama is retiring from college softball, she announced on social media before Christmas.

Kumiyama was the Gamecocks’ starting DP during the 2022 season and appeared in all 56 games of her team’s season. Her third year as a Gamecock, the campaign marked her first full season and first time in a starting role.

“First I would like to thank the University of South Carolina and the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to play collegiate softball while earning my degree in Hospitality Management,” Kumiyama wrote in an Instagram post. “I would also like to thank all of the family, friends, coaches, and teammates who pushed me to follow my dreams, without you none of this would be possible! To my current and past teammates thank you for giving me some of the best years of my life and many memories I will never forget.

“With that being said just 3 days after graduation I was offered an amazing opportunity to continue my career in hospitality, one I felt that I could not let pass by. I have accepted this position and am saying goodbye to the sport I have played since I was 6. Although I will miss it very much, I am so excited to take the next steps in my career.”

During the 2022 season, Kumiyama batted .269 with four doubles, five home runs, and 36 RBIs to her credit. She tied for second on the team in RBIs and also finished second on the team with 25 walks and 160 at-bats.

In 2020, Kumiyama appeared in sixteen games, starting five, before the season’s abrupt end. She was injured in 2021 and did not play.

She is the younger sister of fellow former Gamecock Alyssa Kumiyama.