Student from Japan finds home with Palmer Moose softball team

PALMER — It’s not every day you get the chance to play softball with someone from another country, unless you happen to play for Palmer High School.

Chihiro Hatayama is from Hokkaido, Japan. But this year she is hitting leadoff for Rob Grogan’s Palmer Moose squad in the Last Frontier.

Grogan has had an exchange student on the team each of his two years as head coach of the Palmer varsity softball team.

The addition of Hatayama was a welcome surprise to the team. Not only does she add cultural diversity to the dugout, but she brought over a wealth of softball experience that she has put to good use for the Moose.

Hatayama hits leadoff as a left-hander, and her teammates praise her as being the fastest runner on the team. Hatayama also has seen time pitching, which is invaluable to the squad.

“She is a good pitcher. She has good ball placement, she keeps it low, and has good movement,” said Grogan.

When she is not pitching, Hatayama is playing on the left side of the infield. Her time playing softball in Japan makes her one of the most experienced players on the diamond.

“She plays the ball real well,” Grogan said. “She needs minimal help from me.”

Hatayama has been welcomed to the Moose squad not just for her ability, but also her positive attitude. Hatayama said she gets more enjoyment out of the American game, which uses a larger regulation softball and also comes with less pressure to succeed and more

fun.

“I liked softball before I came here, but I like it a lot better now,” she said. “When I was playing in Japan, the culture was really scary, and I couldn’t play fun because it was scary. If I messed up, the coach got mad. But here it’s like I can play really fun.”

As Hatayama’s English fluency has improved with her time in Palmer, she has also been introduced to a new type of language through softball – dugout cheers.

“She is really funny. She just joins in where she can,” said cleanup hitter Kate Sargent. “That’s one of the things that I really like about our team, we will welcome anybody.”

Hatayama says that she appreciates the added noise when she is hitting, but prefers silent support when she is pitching.

Hatayama and the Lady Moose are 1-5, with their lone win coming over Bartlett. The Moose lost to the Wasilla Warriors on Friday at Wasilla.

Hatayama says she leaves the home runs to Sargent and prefers to just get on base, which is her main job as the team’s leadoff hitter.