Shiraishi's MVP honor highlights WBWC awards

THUNDER BAY, Ont. -- No one was as surprised as Miu Shiraishi when her name was called at Port Arthur Stadium.

The 24-year-old Shiraishi, an outfielder for Team Japan, was crowned the Most Valuable Player of the 2024 Women’s Baseball World Cup finals after the Samurai prevailed with an 11-6 win over the U.S. in the championship game on Saturday.

As she stood in the middle of the infield with her teammates during the WBWC closing ceremonies, it took Shiraishi an extra second to even register that it was indeed her name the emcee had just called.

“I didn’t think I was going to get it,” a beaming Shiraishi said through an interpreter. “I was very happy. Very pleased.”

There’s no false humility there, though the numbers make it obvious we’re talking about a top-caliber player. Shiraishi finished the WBWC finals with a .563 batting average (9-for-16) with four doubles and eight RBIs in six games, including one hit, one walk, one RBI and two runs scored in the championship game.

It was the first time in four WBWC editions that the MVP was anyone other than Japan ace Ayami Sato. It was also a night-and-day difference from what Shiraishi showed in the group stage last year, when she went 2-for-6 mostly coming off the bench.

“She had a great tournament,” Japan manager Risa Nakashima said of Shiraishi. “I knew she had the ability. She has good skill and good power, but in the group stage, she [didn't] perform how she could. She was nervous around older players, a little bit shy, but [now] she’s fitting right in. She’s way more confident.”

Shiraishi -- who was also selected as the left fielder for the 2024 WBWC All-World Team -- is one of many youngsters ushering in a new era of Japanese talents.

Here’s how the rest of the All-World Team lined up:

LF: Miu Shiraishi (Japan)
CF: Sena Catterall (Canada)
RF: Miwa Naraoka (Japan)
3B: Edith De Leija (Mexico)
SS: Mia Valcke (Canada)
2B: Alex Hugo (USA)
1B: Naomi Ryan (USA)
C: Nanako Hanabusa (Japan)
DH: Remi Schaber (USA)
LHP: Elizabeth Gilder (Canada)
RHP: Miyu Shimizu (Japan)

In addition to making the All-World Team, Canada’s Sena Catterall was also named the defensive player of the tournament, dazzling in center with highlight-reel catches night in and night out.

The latest of those helped Canada secure a bronze medal against Mexico on Saturday morning. After watching one go over the fence off the bat of Denise Perez Velazquez in the top of the second, Catterall craved the opportunity to get her team back on track. It didn’t take long for the baseball gods to grant her wish.

“I was saying to myself, ‘I hope this is hit to me. I want this ball. Because I know I'm gonna make the grab and hopefully that'll calm things down,’” said Catterall. “I saw it in the air and I saw it hang and I was like, ‘Oh, this has my name all over it.’”

Spoken like a true team captain.

This is likely just the beginning for Catterall, the 23-year-old standout who added some hardware for most stolen bases (six) and runs scored (10) in the WBWC finals.

No matter where you look, the future is bright for women’s baseball.