Knight In Love With Softball
Kori Berinobis at bat. Photo by Jay Metzger courtesy of Berinobis family.
Kori Berinobis’s softball education began at an early age. She was a regular observer of Castle High School’s practices, which were presided over by her dad, longtime head coach Jon Berinobis.
Even with this familiarity, she got no special treatment when her time came to play for the Knights.
“Growing up I liked that he could be my parent and still be my coach,” said Kori, now a standout infielder at Chaminade. “They expected a lot out of me, but I was treated as just another player. They wanted me to be an example.”
Berinobis was an All-Conference player in both basketball and softball at Castle, but chose to continue playing softball with the Silverswords. As a junior last spring, she batted .306. She’s faring even better in this, her senior season, batting .316 as of last weekend.
Berinobis recently took some time away from the practice field and her studies to visit with MidWeek‘s Windward Islander.
What is your earliest sports-related memory? When I was trying to decide which sport I should play. I played softball and basketball at a young age, and I liked the fast pace of basketball. As I grew older playing both, the intensity of softball made me drift more to that. In college, I’ve fallen more in love with softball.
Who has had the biggest impact on your life? My dad and my grandfather. They taught me everything about softball. They taught me to be humble and helped me take my skills and my knowledge to another level and to always remember where I came from.
What was the biggest adjustment in moving from high school to the college-level ball? The level of competition. Everybody who plays in college works hard and takes every game and practice as if it’s their last. It makes you want to perform.
What area of your game did you work on the most during the off-season? I focused on my hitting. I had struggled the first two years, and I felt like if I could develop that part of my game, I could help the team more.
What’s your favorite road destination to date since you began traveling with Chaminade? When we went to the Turlock Tournament of Champions in California – just because of the atmosphere and seeing and playing teams from all over.
What film could you watch over and over? I liked Never Back Down. It inspired me to remember that when something brings you down, you shouldn’t run away from it.
What is in your iPod? All kinds of music – local music, R&B, hiphop, alternative …
What is your least favorite household chore? Cleaning the kitchen. There are just a lot of dishes, and I get no help. It’s my chore.
What website do you go to the most? Lately, I’ve been going on our CUH (Chaminade) website.
How do you like to spend your free time? What are your hobbies? I like to go to the beach, listen to music, hang out with my friends, and have some “me” time so I can just be by myself. (Primarily) I like being around good company.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Hopefully, I’ll be established with my career and financially stable with a family –living the way I had planned it.
You are stuck on Kaho’olawe and can have an endless supply of just one food. What would it be? Maybe kalua cabbage and rice.
Who would be your choice for a celebrity date on a Saturday night? Derek Jeter.
