Meet the Freshmen - Darya Kaboli-Nejad
02/24/16 | Softball
Darya Kaboli-Nejad is a walk-on infielder for the Ducks from Omaha, Neb. The infielder was a 2015 Nebraska Coaches Association all-star selection and she was a second-team all-Nebraska pick in 2013 after hiting .462 as a sophomore.
Kaboli-Nejad made her debut for the Ducks in the season-opener, driving in a run against Cal Poly. She collected her first collegiate hit on Sunday against Central Arkanas, a pinch-hit single in the fourth inning.
Why did you choose UO?
I like this side of the country. It's pretty, it's liberal.
When did you start playing softball?
Honestly, as far back as I can remember.
What is your favorite softball memory?
I had a stepdad who passed away last year from cancer. He would always be outside with me, hitting me fly balls. What gets me through the days now is knowing this is what he wanted, and he's here with me when it sucks, or when it's good, or whatever. He's one of my inspirations going forward.
Did anyone in your family play softball?
Nobody, no one really played sports. Everyone in my family is smart, I got the sports side (laughs). I'm the first one to do anything in sports.
What was the recruiting process like?
Mine was really different than everyone else's. I think it was summer going into my senior year and I came to a camp here randomly. I was like, “Ooh, let me look at Oregon.” After the camp I went up to coach White and was like 'hey coach, it would be cool for me to play here.' And he was like 'we have no (scholarship) money left.' So I'm a walk-on. But it happened, I'm here playing. It wasn't like they recruited me since I was in eighth grade like some other players. It was just kind of last minute, I just did it.
How is the team dynamic?
If I didn't go around and say I was a walk-on, no one would know. Everyone gets treated the same, I don't get anything different than anyone else because of it. A lot of places they do get treated differently, but I don't here.
How have your first few terms been?
I never thought my life would be like this. In a good way. Every day is something new. I learn something new about myself, about other people. Every day is busy. I never just sit there, I'm never bored. I always have something to do which is stressful at times, but there's nowhere else I would rather be doing what I'm doing here. There's volunteer opportunities they give us all the time which I like to do. I like to hang out with different sports and see what they're doing.
What are you most excited about this year?
Seeing all the hard work we put in the past few months go into games, it's going to be awesome.
