BOONE, N.C. – Moving away from home can be daunting. It can be difficult for someone to leave the place they had called home their entire life while leaving behind friends and family.
For
Kapri Toone, a former App State pitcher, that's exactly the chance she was taking when she transferred to App State last year. But the culture that head softball coach
Shelly Hoerner has built at App State made Toone feel loved from the day she arrived in Boone. Ultimately, Toone had found a second home in the High Country. Let's get to know Toone a little bit better and hear about her time at App State.
Toone grew up and graduated high school in Utah. She continued to pursue her education at Utah State where she was a member of the softball team. Toone had a great career at Utah State, pitching to a 3.88 Earned Run Average (ERA) over her four years, including a team-best 2.89 ERA her senior year. She put her name all over the record books at Utah State and left her mark in her home state.
But after four years, she decided it was time for a change of scenery, so she chose to come play for coach
Shelly Hoerner and the App State Mountaineers for her last year of eligibility.
Leaving a place you have called home your entire life can take a toll on anyone. But when Toone came to the High Country, she immediately found a family in the softball team. But when Toone arrived at App State, she immediately felt right at home. Every person she met made her feel welcomed and loved. She knew she had made the right decision to come play softball in the Black & Gold.
Over Toone's year with App State, she appeared in 11 games and pitched 23.2 innings, while striking out 12 batters. It might not have been the year she wanted to have in her final collegiate season, but the lessons she learned and the friends she made along the way made her time in Boone a memorable one.
Now back in Utah, Toone is taking the lessons she learned and the tutelage she received at App State and implementing her wisdom into her players at Weber State where she is a first-year coach. Although it was a brief stint, Toone felt loved and cherished by her App State family. Let's hear from Toone about the impact she felt at App State.
Q: Why did you decide to come to App State when you spent your whole life in Utah?
A: I decided to go to App after being in Utah so long because I wanted to have new experiences and get out of my comfort zone. It definitely felt like a home away from home and I was lucky to end up at App. It was the most amazing opportunity.
Q: What was the transition from Utah to Boone like when you decided to transfer here both in terms of softball and life in general?
A: The transition from Utah to Boone was easier than I thought it would be. It was hard to be away from my family and friends, but I gained an App State family which made it easier. The culture, my teammates and the coaches made me feel right at home and made my transition seamless.
Q: What did you take from your experience at App State and playing within the softball program?
A: I gained so much knowledge about pitching during my time at App State. I learned patterns and movements that I use with my pitchers at WSU. The culture of family, hard work, and having a good attitude that the coaches preached at App State is something that I also use daily in my life.
Q: Did you always know you wanted to coach softball? What were the driving factors that led you to that career path?
A: I didn't always know that I wanted to coach. I've been working on other schooling to get a job in healthcare, which is where I thought I would end up. However, I love softball and have had some awesome coaches/mentors that made me love it and appreciate it even more. I wanted to take the coaching path to share my love for the sport and be that mentor for someone else.
Q: How are you enjoying life as a coach at WSU?
A: I am loving coaching at Weber State. It has been great to be back in Utah and still be involved in college softball. I love the staff I coach with and the girls I get to coach. I am stressed out and busy all the time, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: My plan for the future is to continue coaching and complete my master's degree in health administration. My wedding is set for August 3, 2024, in the mountains of Logan, Utah, so I will be busy over the next few months planning that!
