UH Hilo athletic director Patrick Guillen didn't have to look far to find his new Vulcan softball coach.

Today Guillen named UH HIlo assistant coach and former standout player Aisha Sueda as the head coach. Sueda becomes the seventh head coach in the program's history, replacing the retired Callen Perreira, who left the program after 25 years with a 694-422-3 record.

"I am happy to announce Aisha Sueda as the head coach," Guillen said.  "Coach Aisha has earned this opportunity.  She has been instrumental in the success of our program as an assistant coach for the past five years and understands what it takes to be successful.  From a player's perspective, she brings strong credentials as a former four-year standout player and First Team All-PacWest Conference selection as a Vulcan."

The Hilo native (Hilo HS) first served as a volunteer assistant coach after graduating in 2012 and then as a assistant coach in 2018. She played for the Vulcans from 2009-12 as a four-year starter at second base, earning First Team All-Pacific West Conference honors as a senior. She hit .382 that season with six home runs and 35 RBI. She hit over .300 in three of her four seasons in a Vulcan uniform.

Sueda graduated from UH HIlo in 2013 with a degree in Kinesiology and earned a second degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Hawai`i in 2016.

"This is a dream come true, to be given the opportunity to do something that I love from the school I graduated from in my hometown," Sueda said. "I know that I have big shoes to fill following Coach Callen's legacy. I know that it will be a lot of work both on and off the field, but I feel confident moving into this position with the support of my coaching staff, the athletic staff and the entire Hilo community."

As a Vulcan player, volunteer assistant coach or assistant coach, Sueda has been part of a program that never had a losing season, In fact, in 34 years of UH Hilo softball the program has had 32 winning seasons. Now Sueda's task will be keep the program moving forward, despite losing seven players to graduation from a squad that went 19-13 and won two games at the NCAA Division II West Regional tournament in 2021.

"We lost a lot of key players and we will be looking to fill those spots," Sueda said. "We've got a lot of new players coming in and I am excited to see what they will bring to the program. I will always be looking for hard working student-athletes with good fundamentals and will want to continue to bring in more local talent. We have had a lot of Big Island kids and players from Oahu come through this program, and that is something that I would like to continue to grow."

Guillen sees Sueda as a good fit for the program and Hilo community.

"I know she will have a supportive community behind her and I am excited to work with her to start this new chapter of Vulcan softball," he confirmed.  "Coach Sueda is a great fit and shares our vision of developing student-athletes on the field with high expectations for them off the field, in the classroom and in our community. 
 
"I look forward to working with her over the course of the next year to build upon and continue our overall success." 

UH Hilo All-Time Softball Coaches
Callen Perreira (25 yrs)   694-422-3   (.620)
Jaime Wallin (4 yrs.)  113-73   (.608)
PJ Brun  (2 yrs)   63-33-1   (.650)
G. Kagaoan/F. Entilla   (1 yr.)  35-16  (.686)
Ralph Black   (1 yr.)  32-12   (.727)
Leilani Southward  (1 yr.)  22-10 (.687)