Laura Hirai fell in love with baseball in Japan and, upon moving back to the United Kingdom, she has dedicated her efforts to promoting her sport.
Laura spent five years living in Tokyo, Japan, between the ages of six and 11 and it was during this period that she discovered baseball. In Japan, baseball is one of the most popular sports teams playing in front of fans in their thousands, and batting centres aplenty.
In contrast, baseball is much more of a niche sport in the UK, though its popularity continues to grow – especially off the back of Major League Baseball (MLB) holding games in London in recent years. Laura, who is the first woman to represent Great Britain in baseball and softball, a variant of the game, is very much at the forefront of the sport’s growth in the UK.
“I grew up watching baseball,” Laura told Fen Regis Trophies. “I just really wanted to play…in the UK, we can just kick a ball about, but in Japan, there are batting centres where you can hit a baseball coming at you. I grew up loving that.”
The Difference Between Baseball and Softball
Though baseball is far from advertised on every corner of the UK, Laura did manage to find a local club in the London Mets where she could continue to play. It was at this point that Laura began to learn the difference between baseball and softball.
“Unbeknownst to me,” she said. “Baseball’s a sport predominantly for men, and as a girl, back then, I never really noticed that. I never thought that when I was playing it, either.”
Softball is played with a larger ball on a smaller field than baseball, with only underhanded pitches. Though there are some differences between the two, there are far more similarities which is why there are many examples of players playing both, including Laura.
“I continued to play baseball [at the Mets] and I got better, with some amazing coaches who trusted us as little kids to be better, improve, and find ways to love the game.
“I just fell in love with the sport, just like the boys did on the team.
“Eventually, it came to tryouts for the national team at under-16 level, and I was encouraged by my coach to try for the national team.
“I think my naivety allowed me to not think about the gender barriers in sport, and that baseball is a sport for men and boys.
“I worked hard, did my bit, and the coach selected me for the national team as the only girl on that roster.”
Coaching Baseball and Softball
As well as playing both baseball and softball at international level, winning an Under-19 European Championship gold medal in 2016, Laura also coaches. She is the Under-12 baseball coach and Under-18 softball coach for GB, and working to develop the next generation of British players is something she takes a huge amount of pride in doing.
“It’s just an amazing way to give back to both sports,” Laura said. “It has allowed me to pursue my passions and to fall in love with the game in a whole other way.
“I have to thank all the coaches from when I was a child, teenager, and onwards, who allowed me to grow as a player and as a person.
“Becoming a coach for baseball and softball has been really humbling and it has been a way to give back, teaching everything that I have learned from the amazing coaches I’ve had through the years.”
Currently, just over 1,000 baseball and softball clubs and 20,000 players are registered in the UK. As the sport continues to grow in the UK, through the introduction of women’s teams, their success on and off the field, as well as the MLB continuing to hold fixtures in the country, those numbers will only continue to grow.
The National Baseball and Softball Complex at Farnham Park in Slough holds regular free taster sessions for anyone interested in taking up the sport, with Laura being one of the coaches. You can register your interest online through BaseballSoftballUK’s website.
By Aaron Gratton
