An interview with Combat/Softball.com Derby Girls Dara Toman!

Dara Toman

USSSA Playing History

Who are you playing with in 2015?
COMBAT/Softball.com Derby Girls

What positions do you play and what is your best position?
Utility, 2nd is my favorite and best position.

Who is the best softball player you have ever seen play?
Christian Dowling. Good thing everytime I see her play she's on my team. Best hitter in women's softball. 

Why do you like the game of softball?
The reason I love slowpitch softball is because I came from fastpitch and my role was hitter/fielder. I played college fastpitch and I also played in the NPF (National Pro Fastpitch) for a year. It was a pitcher dominated sport, one hit a game was applauded at that level. After my season was over I played my first slowpitch softball game, I batted five times, defintely wasn't going back after that.

What is your nickname in softball and how did you get it?
Baby Giraffe. I'm the youngest on the team, and I stand at a whopping 6 foot with 35 inch legs. The nickname acftually came after our tournament in Arizona on the red clay. That whole tournament I struggled to stay on my feet, hence the nickname Baby Giraffe.

What is your height and weight?
6 ft, I'll leave it at that ha

Where do you call home?
Columbus, OH

What's your favorite way to spend an off weekend?
What's an off weekend?
Just kidding, I'm extremely close to my family, so anytime I'm not working or playing I spend time with them. My father and brother are involved with softball as well so makes it hard to have a "off weekend".

What do you do for a living?
I am a Video Relay Interpreter. I interpret sign language calls between the deaf and hearing. 

Did you play sports in High School / College / Pro?
I played volleyball, basketball, and softball in high school. I was actually verballed to play volleyball at a school in WVA! Then I was playing in a travel softball game and the Cleveland State Coach happened to be recruiting the opposing team's short stop. She recruited me instead, and made me an offer I couldn't turn down.

I played 4 years at Cleveland State University, which was Division I and part of the Horizon League.

I didn't feel like my fastpitch career was done after College and my coach set up a tryout for me with the Akron Racers, and they found a spot for me on their 2013 roster.

How did you get your start in softball and how did you get to the upper level?
Since I was 16 I've played in one slowpitch tournament a year at NSAD (Deaf Nationals). Both of my parents are deaf, and the rules allow one Child of a Deaf Adult to play on your team.

Although, my real start in softball came literally the weekend after my last Racer's game. A friend of my dad needed a girl for coed softball in Indy. My team was out early, but that gave me a chance to see Christian Dowling's team play. If anyone thought my 301 foot homeruns were cool, I was easily forgotten after seeing CD hit 400+ bombs. I was too shy to approach CD at this time about possibly playing with her in the future.

After coed, there was a men's open tournament that I also played in with my dad's team. Luckily CD noticed me playing SS with the guys.

From there, I was picked up by a Coed team in Texas, along with CD. At that time she had put in a good word with Don Cooper the coach of Derby Girls and asked if I would be interested in playing that year. The rest is history!

What would you say is your career highlight to this point? Maybe one play or game that sticks out to you in particular?
I don't know about one game or one highlight, but I defintely will never forget winning 2014 ASA worlds with the Derby Girls, and winning Coed Majors with Derby Girls/Boys.

In your career was there a single person (player/manager/coach) who had the most significant impact on your approach to the game? Why?
Once again I'll have to go with Christian Dowling. She has the experience, and when there was times I struggled, she was there to remind me of what I should do. 

What advice can you give a young player trying to break into the upper level?
Play in as many tournaments as you can, the right person has to notice you.

What type of batting grip do you use and what ounce bat?
I actually take the orginal grip off my bat and put pink tennis grip on it. I like the tennis grip because it's designed to be moisture resistant, and I always go with pink everything.
I swing the Derby Boy Chris Greinert 26.5.

What do you do in the offseason to prepare for the next softball season?
It's December as I'm doing this interview and this weekend I will go to Palm Springs for the Toys for Tots tournament. Like I said earlier, there is no off season ha

But, during the week if its warm enough in Ohio I play men's league around home, and if not my dad and I will go to the local field and get some Batting practice in.

What is your favorite sports team and your favorite sport other than softball?
Pittsburgh Steelers, and Ohio State Buckeyes are probably my #1 favorites. My favorite sport to play other than softball is defintely volleyball. Favorite to watch is football.

Do you have any superstitions and if so, what are they?
In college I had a bunch of what I like to call them STUPIDstitions. I actually believed if I didn't wear that exact sports bra for this game I wouldn't get a hit. I got the opportunity to talk to a sports psychologist and they changed my whole game. They made me realize the reason I didn't get that hit was because I had that superstition in the back of my mind.

Any softball player will tell you that the game is 90% mental. So if you are in a "slump" it's because you think you are. So since that meeting with the psychologist, I have thrown out every superstition and before every at bat I focus on just hitting the ball and I would say it's worked for me!"

What would be your "at bat" music selection?
DMX Party Up

What is the best softball field/complex you have played at and why?
Any of the Field of Dreams.

Where is the best place to eat on the road after a game?
I'm big on sandwiches, and being from Ohio I never even heard of a WaWa until Worlds. Now everytime I see one I feel the need to get a sandwich from there.

What is the funniest thing you have ever seen on a softball field?
Opposing teams may not think this is funny, but we were playing a team that didn't know about the Derby Girls yet. There was two on base and CD was up. Obviously her being the best hitter in the game she was walked (something she's used to). Now bases are loaded and our next hitter hits a grand slam. Hitter after that hits a solo, along with the next hitter. Their faces were priceless, and they didn't walk her after that.

Tell us something about you that most would never know about you?
My middle name is Ruth, and I was named after the greatest hitter of all time Babe Ruth.
Just kidding, it's a family name, but I like to tell people that ha