Irvine’s Tomoguchi Picks Massachusetts for Softball

Debbie Tomoguchi, who batted .424 last year at Irvine, has orally committed to play softball at Massachusetts.

Tomoguchi, a Times Orange County first-team outfielder as a junior and second-team choice as a sophomore, decided to follow a path similar to her sister, Natalie, a junior at Ohio State.

“I wanted to get away, like my sister did,” Tomoguchi said. “I just wanted a change.”

Tomoguchi, who bats right-handed, chose Massachusetts over Hawaii, the only other university she visited, Hofstra and DePaul.

She had 31 runs batted in last season, the county’s fourth-best total.