Casey Hiraiwa at the bat shines on Senior Day

By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
[email protected]

It is usually easy to overlook Casey Hiraiwa.

The senior second baseman, with her quiet demeanor, was pretty
much begging anyone to take a chocolate covered strawberry from her
tray after Saturday’s doubleheader.

One request, and you politely turn down the offer. A second
request, guilt starts to sink in. A third, and there’s no way
of denying Hiraiwa, with her infectious smile and all.

The last remnant of a 1998 squad with a dubious history, Hiraiwa
is not at all a high-profile piece at UCLA. She only had 12 at-bats
prior to the last regular season weekend.

But on “Senior Day,” against Arizona State, Hiraiwa
was showcased.

During the pre-game introductions, when parents tend to
accompany their daughters to home plate, Hiraiwa stood alone. Her
mother and father, who reside in Hawaii, couldn’t make this
trip with the NCAA Regionals and Women’s College World Series
already looming on the horizon.

No worries. Her extended family stepped in as the 11 non-seniors
jumped out to meet Hiraiwa in foul territory and then,
hand-in-hand, escorted her to the coaching staff.

“It was such a special day for her, just because she has
been such a big part of our team,” junior Monique Mejia
said.

“When Casey’s name comes up, it’s special and
it’s important. More so than with anybody else because we
want to have that kind of closeness to her.”

Her teammates know to take “extra, extra care” of
Hiraiwa, to always let her know they love having her at UCLA, and
this “ceremony” was their way of expressing their
gratitude.

“All the teammates, over the years, not only this year,
they’re great,” Hiraiwa said. “That’s what
makes it all worthwhile.”

Hiraiwa didn’t expect to see any action on the field. Not
against No. 4 ASU. But there came Hiraiwa out to the field in the
top of the third inning of the second game, with UCLA safely ahead
4-0.

After an uneventful inning on the field, Hiraiwa grounded out to
second base in her 13th at-bat of the season. She is now
1-for-13.

It could’ve been easy for Hiraiwa to lose a little bit of
concentration, but none of that was evident in the top of the
fourth. After the leadoff hitter was hit by a pitch, ASU’s
Nichole Thompson hit a grounder to shortstop Natasha Watley.
Hiraiwa took a quick feed to second, stepped over the bag and,
throwing across her body, delivered a strike to first base for the
double play.

Then, two innings later, almost if by accident, Hiraiwa
backhanded a scorching grounder. As she threw the ball to first for
the out, it was hard to tell if Hiraiwa’s trademark smile was
an admission of luck.

“She’s one of those players that is always smiling
after a play,” UCLA head coach Sue Enquist said. “If it
either catches her off-guard or it’s a great play,
she’s just a really humble player. She has a lot to be proud
of today.”

Since second base is a deep position for UCLA, with Crissy Buck
and Mejia sharing most of the time out there, Hiraiwa probably
didn’t buy herself some playing time in the playoffs. But one
never knows.

“I’m out in the outfield, I’m looking and
“˜God, Casey making a bid for second base too.’
We’re going to get another person in there,” Mejia
said. “For her to just come in here like that and to perform,
really trust herself and to just have fun was really awesome to
see.”

In the bottom of the sixth, it was “Casey at the
bat” again. This time, with an inside-out swing, Hiraiwa
sliced the ball to right field for a single. As she stumbled to
first base for her second base hit of the season, it was obvious
Hiraiwa wasn’t a pro at this game.

“I really haven’t hit in a long time … Well, I
haven’t gotten a hit, put it that way, in a long time,”
said Hiraiwa, as she stops to offer more treats to those walking
around. “I haven’t gotten down there in a while, so it
was good to get that one, so that I know it’s still in me.
It’s still in there, somewhere.”

Hiraiwa went on to score UCLA’s fifth run of the game.

Then, in the top of the seventh, with one out and runners on
first and second, it was time to put the finishing touches on an
otherwise perfect day. UCLA third baseman, Toria Auelua, snared a
soft, low liner and gunned a one-hopper to second base for the
double play.

Who was there to quietly scoop up the ball and end the game?
None other than Hiraiwa herself, smiling, probably thinking that
she needs to find that tray of chocolate-covered strawberries.