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Kira Ching has improved her batting average from .256 last year to .326 this season. Photo courtesy of Stanford softball program.
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Last Chance For National Title
By Ethen Lieser
AsianWeek Staff Writer
Stanford’s Kira Ching has one more year left of eligibility, and she would like to make the most of it. Ching, who will be a senior next season for the Cardinal, is one of the team leaders of the Stanford softball program. A former standout of Arroyo High School in San Lorenzo, Calif., Ching had a breakout 2002 campaign, hitting .326 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs.
Ching, an All-Pac-10 selection and member of the Pacific Region Softball Team, probably needed a U-Haul to carry all her individual honors home, but the 5-7 second baseman still hasn’t tasted the champagne of a College World Series championship. The Cardinal, ranked No. 8 in the country, were ousted in the NCAA Regionals by Cal State Fullerton this season. Stanford finished with a 44-20 record.
Here are some of Ching’s thoughts on hitting, defense and the Cardinal run for the 2003 College World Series.
AsianWeek: How did you get your start in softball?
Kira Ching: I started playing softball when I was 6 years old. My parents owned a Hawaiian restaurant called Hawaiian Country Kitchen. I was too young to work, so I got stuck in a back room while my brother and sister both worked. So to keep me from getting bored, they signed me up in the San Lorenzo Bobby Sox league. I have been playing ever since.
AW: Why did you pick Stanford? What other schools were interested in you?
KC: I chose Stanford because it is an amazing school, and there is no other school that can offer both a high level of education and athletics. A Stanford degree is priceless. I fell in love with the school when I came on my visit. Other schools that were interested in me were Northwestern University, University of the Pacific, Cal State Northridge and University of Wisconsin, Madison.
AW: What was the reason for your dramatic turnaround this season, especially offensively? Last year you hit .256, but this season you improved to .326.
KC: This year I had a lot of confidence in the box. Last year I was coming back from ACL [Anterior Cruciate Ligament] surgery and I didn’t get a chance to play my complete freshman year, so I missed the entire Pac-10 season. I think last year was my adjustment year. I had a better understanding of what to expect after playing my complete sophomore year. I worked on being patient enough to find a decent pitch to hit. The coaches and I also worked on keeping my weight back and being early so that I may see the pitch longer.
AW: Were you satisfied with your defense at second base this year, even though you had 11 errors?
KC: I was not satisfied with my defense this year, and I feel I have a lot of room for improvement. I will definitely expect to get better in that area. One of my goals for the summer is to improve defensively.
AW: Your power has improved as well with 10 home runs this year. Was that something you concentrated on prior to the season?
KC: My improvement in power has a lot to do with keeping my weight back and hitting with my legs. Hitting home runs is not what I focused on; I focused on making good contact. I knew that the home runs would come. I find that when you try to work on hitting home runs, more times than not you will strike out or pop up. So I like to focus on hitting singles.
AW: You were second on the team in steals this year with 13. Has the combination of speed and power always been part of your game?
KC: Speed and power have always been parts of my game. [Though] I wouldn’t consider myself a fast person, I think I get great jumps at first and it helps me steal more bases.
AW: You were an All-Pac-10 selection this year. What do these types of awards mean to you?
KC: Being an All-Pac-10 is an honor to me because it is such a difficult conference. With all of the amazing players in the league, it is an honor to be selected among the best.
AW: Your team made it to the NCAA Regionals this season. Do you think that experience will help out next year?
KC: The season was a disappointment. I feel we should have made it to the World Series. Going to regionals will help with experience, but this team has been to regionals every year I have been here. I think for the freshmen, who have never experienced regionals, it will definitely help them. Post-season is what you prepare for throughout the year, and it is also the best part of the year. So we know what to expect — it’s just a matter of performing when you get there.
AW: What was it like to see Berkeley, a team in your conference, win the College World Series?
KC: I thought that seeing Berkeley win the WCWS was great for our conference. After playing Berkeley in regionals, I had a gut feeling that they would take it all. Joclyne Forest threw really well all weekend, and their team was on a roll. Of course, I feel that Stanford should have been there. At the beginning of every year, our team goal is to win a national championship, and when we accomplish anything less than that, it is a huge letdown.
Reach Ethen Lieser at elieser@asianweek.com.
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