Sports

Kasey Wright and her mom Karen share a special bond on and off the softball diamond.

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Kasey hits all the ‘Wright’ notes

By Don Fennell

Published 12:27 PST, Fri December 10, 2021

Last Updated: 10:25 PST, Mon December 20, 2021

Richmond softball standout earned three golds, national title, this past season

Unlike in the fabled poem by Ernest Thayer, Casey at the Bat, there’s no fear of Kasey Wright deliberately letting two strikes go by unanswered.

Gifted as she is, Wright doesn’t ever rest on her laurels which is what makes her such a valued teammate and feared opponent on the softball diamond.

And as a student double majoring in psychology and sociology at the University of B.C. Okanagan, it seems certain she will make the same invaluable contribution to society—perhaps caring for at-risk youth going through the juvenile correctional system.

“I have known Kasey since 2017 when her mom, Karen, joined our Steveston Athletics women’s team and Kasey was a 17-year-old playing with the 2000A Islanders,” says Athletics coach Kevin Lee. “Kasey joined us for some practices that season and did not look out of place at all...in fact she was one of the better players even back then.”

Fearless in her centerfield position, she’s willing to dive head-first to make catches—even in practices. With a rocket of an arm to throw runners out at any base from her position in the outfield, Wright is equally gifted at the plate—hitting for power or laying down a bunt.

“On top of all that, her softball I.Q. is off the charts, smart and oh so coachable...just a fantastic kid. Kasey is easily one of the most likeable players on the team, her youthful enthusiasm is contagious and her maturity allows her to get along well with the older veterans on the team,” says Lee.

A 2018 grad of Matthew McNair Secondary School, Wright recently capped a personally memorable 2021 softball season with an all-star nod at the national Canadian Collegiate Softball Association championships in Kelowna. Featuring the top six teams in the country, Wright suited up for the UBCO Heat and helped them secure gold with a game-clinching throw to home plate in the top of the ninth inning, setting the stage for the winning walk-off single in the bottom of the inning. The gold medal was Wright’s third of the season, to go along with a silver she earned coaching rep girls’ softball.

Her dream season also included a league all-star nod and a league leadership award, emphasizing the important role she played in her team winning 43 of 46 games she appeared in.

“What I enjoy most about Kasey is her competitiveness, her passion for the game, and her dedication to the sport not only as a player but also in her coaching young girls,” says Lee. “She is also a total team player that will help out in any area for the team, both on and off the field.”

While Wright has earned every success and accolade she’s received, she has her mom, Karen, to thank for being such a positive role model.

A pitcher, and the 2019 recipient of the Female Adult Athlete of the Year at the Richmond Sports Awards, Karen won both her starts in the Athletics’ six-game undefeated run at the provincial senior championships. Karen also had an opportunity to throw to Kasey (as catcher) during one league game this past season, a unique event that further underscores Kasey’s abilities.

Kasey started out as a bat-girl at Karen’s games, then started throwing the ball around, soon developing a love for the game that would rival her passion and excellence at soccer, a sport at which she won many individual awards as a goalkeeper. There are some who insist Kasey was even better at soccer than she is at softball, a nod to what an outstanding athlete she is.