Teigen Lerman is the youngest member of the championship-winning 2023 U.S. U-15 Women’s National Team and shared her overseas experience with Extra Inning Softball, including a trip to Lima, Peru (Click here about that experience) and the city of Takasaki, Japan, which she details below.
Class of 2027 pitcher and versatile player from Washington State, Texas to play when not representing red, white and blue teams Nate Nelson’s The favorite player of the 16U national team.
In April 2023, Taegan was identified as Top 10 prospects in the 2027 Extra Elite 100.
This is the second part of a two-part recap of her travels playing softball and visiting faraway parts of the world. …
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Japan – Utsuki Cup 2023
The U.S. U-15 team arrives in Japan on May 31, 2023 for the Utsuki Cup in Takasaki… Click here Read more about travel and Click here Find out how the Eagles beat the hosts 1-0 to win the title…
first day
Houston to California. We’re heading to Los Angeles today to meet with Team USA before flying to Japan in the morning.
Stevie (South), You have (bryant), head coach Keira (hall), Both me and I were on the same flight. Nice to meet you all at the hotel.When people arrived we hung out and had a great time and met the coaches microphone (forest control).
Tomorrow, we are leaving for Japan!
the next day
Japan travel. Today is a long day. We had breakfast and headed to the airport for Japan. 12 hours of flight time!
When we landed, it was amazing: different languages, cultures, food… learning something new everywhere I looked. We took a bus to Takasaki, where the Utsuki Cup is held.
Along the way we drove through Tokyo and the countryside until we reached our hotel. It’s been a long trip, time to sleep!
third day
practice day. We got up and went to practice in the field.
Since it was daytime we saw more places… Japan is so clean. People are so friendly and respectful. Practice went well. The bats from all teams were on point and we pitched really well.
After practice, we explored Takasaki.
day 4
opening ceremony. We moved to a new hotel today. We stayed in downtown Takasaki and then moved to another hotel where all the other teams stayed.
It’s on top of a hill overlooking the mountains and golf course, it’s beautiful! After breakfast, I got ready and got on the bus. We went to the stadium first, it was really beautiful!
We got to explore it and had a bento box lunch there. After seeing the field, we went to practice. Practice is sweet and short – working on the normal, the fast and the varied, inside out, and leaning on Coach Kayla for guidance. We only played today because of the rain.
Then we went back to the hotel and got dressed for the ceremony. Interesting. When we got there, we sat down; we had a shirt, a doll, and a few other things waiting for us there.
Then, when everyone got to their tables, some people started talking, and we all got involved. When people are eating, we have to go up on stage and introduce ourselves. For some reason, I was shaking, but I’ve spoken in front of people before, so it was weird. We have dealings with all countries.
Then we go to a meeting with my team. Then we went to someone’s room and watched three movies while eating peanut butter and peanut butter. By the way, I had therapy during this time and it was great.
Well, I’m tired and I have to get up early.
fifth day
Game day! Woke up excited; ready to go! I got ready and off we went to the stadium. When we got there, we watched some Japan vs. Mexico games. Then we go to warm up.
We played Italy first and we won 3-0. We started off slow and then the bats came alive. The second game was against China, which we won 10-0. It was a better game and the energy was burning.
In between games we watched China play against Italy and I saw this very good couple bring their mark to the team. “I ❤️__”. They also have Hotshots photos and images of players’ teams/high schools. Awesome fans!
After the game, we all go back to the hotel, have dinner, get therapy, and hang out with the other teams. First, we talked to Tanzania. They are so cute and fun! We discussed for a while how things were different in our country and theirs. After talking, we took a picture and hugged and then I went back upstairs and watched a little movie before heading back to my room.
Now I’m going to bed because I have to get up early.
sixth day
The second day of the game. We get up, get ready, and head to the stadium. We watched the Tanzanian team play, met the Italian team (they gave us a great pasta recipe), and warmed up.
Today we are playing the Japanese team. They are at the top of the group. This team is amazing with strong pitching and defense. It was a fight but we won 1-0 in ITB. Our team is excited! Messi has done a good job with the rubber. The closing ceremony was filled with fun for photo ops, award presentations and meeting other team players.
It’s amazing! Great day at Utsuki Cup! Team USA wins!
day 7
Exploration time! Chris (In Sebre) and the coach arranged an adventure for the team! We went to this really cool temple on the hill, it was so beautiful and peaceful. I got a really cool fortune and I felt the flow of the waterfall. It was cold and we made a lot of wishes there.
Then, we climbed to the top of this beautiful mountain. We have to take the cable car to the top of the mountain overlooking Takasaki and the lake. We hiked, took pictures; it was fun. Then when we went back we had bento boxes for lunch. We also had to sit on the benches by the water while we ate!
Next we went to a really cool temple called Daruma where we hand painted these wooden dolls that symbolize good luck and luck. very funny! Mine is not so good though, haha. Also, I bought some mini dolls for my family while we were there.
In the end we went to this huge mall and we had 50 minutes to visit three and a half floors. All I got was some snacks, but I ran around because I was looking for a shirt that said “Japan” and I couldn’t find it.
After that, we went back to the hotel. When we got there, I, Izzy (barge) and Brooke (Paratore) went to the top of the parking lot and played a game of catch for about 30 minutes, it was great!
Then my parents arrived and we had dinner together. I ate two cheeseburgers and a McDonald’s Sprite and I’m hungry! It was so much fun today. Get to know the country, visit and have fun with your teammates.
I regret leaving tomorrow. Japan is such an amazing place!
day 8
travel mom. We packed our bags and headed to the airport. Saying goodbye to a team and a coach is sad. I can’t thank the coaches and staff enough for everything! Kayla, Mike, Mike, Sam, Chris and Jordan were all amazing! We packed our bags and were ready for the 10 hour flight home.
Goodbye Japan! Thank you for the great memories! ! !
— Teigen Lerman
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