In December, we profiled Kaimana Coleman in our weekday column The Final Pitch and learned about this talented Big Ten-bound catcher and corner infielder from Southern California who plays for the Breakers Labs 18U – Bobby team.

The 2027 grad had a huge summer last year (2025) as she batted .442 with seven home runs and 20 RBIs in 77 at-bats and that followed a similarly strong summer of 2024 when she made the Line Drive All Summer Team after batting .476 with 54 hits and a 1.168 OPS, helping lead her Breakers team to the PGF 14U Premier national championship game.

We wanted to hear more about how Kaimana committed to Northwestern and how she pulled the trigger on being a Wildcat.

Here’s what she had to say…

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First a question off the field: your first name is beautiful, is it Polynesian?
Yes, Kaimana is a Hawaiian name… my grandma grew up in Hawaii!

Let’s talk about the exciting decision you made to commit to Northwestern. When did you pull the trigger and give your verbal to the coaching staff?
I officially committed the night of September 21st over the phone.

What factored into your decision to commit?
One key factor in my decision was the environment. I wanted to make sure I fit into the environment academically and athletically and I felt that I did for Northwestern. As soon as I went on my visit and hung around the coaches and players and felt the sense of community, I knew that Northwestern was the school for me. I also wanted to be close to a big city so the location was perfect!

That had to be exciting not just for you but your family… do anything fun after making the big announcement?
Yes, some of my family was over while I committed so I was able to celebrate with them while eating pie!

You mentioned on your trip everything fell into place. When did you officially visit Northwester? Did you visit any other schools?
I took my official visit to Northwestern on September 4^th through the 6^th and right after that I went to Purdue for an official visit.

What did the Wildcat coaches say they liked about you enough to offer?
The coaches said they liked my family values and work ethic in and out of the classroom that align with the type of player they value.

Have Wildcat coaches Kate and Caryl Drohan indicated how they’ll use you once you’re there?
They haven’t specifically said how they are going to use me once I get on campus, but they have said they like my versatility on the field and how I can play other positions besides catcher.

You’ve already had a great career on the field… what are you most proud of?
In my opinion, a couple of my biggest accomplishments in my softball career have to be playing in the National Championship at PGF in 2024 and committing to play softball at Northwestern.

You’re a Southern California girl… any worries about living in the cold winters in the Midwest?
Yes, I have been raised in Carlsbad my whole life! I’m slightly worried about how I’ll do in the cold but I’m also very excited to have seasons!

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball