Chapman softball learns lessons versus Japanese national team
Photo by Matias Pacheco-Ramirez, Photographer
It’s the top of the sixth inning, and freshman business major Brooke Wiegand is up to bat for Chapman softball. Making her way to the plate, she does her best to stay calm. She settles into her stance, the pitcher winds up and on her first swing, Wiegand smacks a line drive up the middle. Cheers roar across El Camino Real Park as Wiegand runs through first base and the umpire signals safe. Beaming smiles fill the Chapman dugout. The Panthers are down 24-0.
It’s hard to imagine a team so ecstatic when they’re facing a more than sizable deficit. It’s easier when you realize they’re playing one of the best teams in the world. And this is their first base hit of the game.
On Feb. 23, Chapman softball had the opportunity to play the Japan National Softball Team — the 2020 Olympic gold medalists, 2024 Softball World Cup champions and current No. 2-ranked team in the world by the International Softball Federation.
The exhibition match was set up by Chapman assistant coach Suzy Brazney, who has connections with the Japan team from her days competing on U.S. national teams. After playing in a Division I tournament in Palm Springs, the world’s No. 2 squad made a detour to Orange to face the Panthers.
Photo by Matias Pacheco-Ramirez, Photographer
The game ended at 24-0, and Wiegand was Chapman’s only runner on base. But sometimes in sports, the real highlights aren’t found on the scoresheet. Instead, they are in the emotion, camaraderie and connection that comes with competing.
“That's an experience of a lifetime for these players,” head coach Janet Lloyd said. “We knew that they were going to be really good, and we knew that they were going to score a lot of runs. That part didn't matter. It was more about, ‘what can we learn from these guys?’”
And they learned a lot. Reflecting on the game, Lloyd said the team talked about Japan’s calmness, speed, intentionality and relaxed nature. And for Wiegand, Japan’s consistency is what made them so deadly.
“When I was in the game catching, it was super hard calling pitches,” Wiegand said. “Our coaches (were) saying to throw them pitches they need to chase. But they don't chase. They know what they're hitting and they have (a specific) approach going up to the plate.”
Japan put on a clinic. It was a real showing of what it takes to be a professional athlete. But Chapman gave their all. They showed bravery, which Lloyd says is all they really could have asked for.
“To be able to say that we played an international team, and there's no other Division III team out there that can say that … we're pretty proud about that, and we're going to make sure everybody knows it too,” Lloyd said. "So if they want to look up the score, that's fine. I don't care. But we're proud of the fact that we played them.”
Lloyd added that when the 2028 Olympics roll around in two years, Chapman’s players will get to watch a team they once shared the field with — and Wiegand can say she got a hit.
Wiegand reflected on her mindset when she realized she was going to get on base.
“I was so excited. I was clapping down the line before I even got to the base. And I could see my coach throw her hands up. It was such a surreal feeling.”
Photo by Matias Pacheco-Ramirez, Photographer
The Panthers aren’t the only ones who gained something from this experience. In an interview conducted through a translator, Japan manager Reika Utsugi talked about the intensity her team sees playing teams like Chapman.
“What they’ve actually learned from the college teams is how they just go all out. They swing the bat hard, and just the way they play so hard,” Utsugi said. “They cheer really loud, which you don’t really see (in Japan).”
Utsugi also talked about preparing for the Olympics, where softball and baseball will return for the first time since 2020. She talked about wanting her players to see the lifestyle of Americans to learn the culture and adjust before 2028.
“They’ve always enjoyed coming to America and playing, and they just like the atmosphere, so it’s just a good experience for all of them,” Utsugi said.
The 2028 Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, but softball will be played in Oklahoma. If it were up to Chapman softball, they’d make the trip.
“They were all like, ‘Coach, we want to go to Oklahoma so we can support them,’” Lloyd said. “That's pretty cool. They made friends.”