16 April 2025
Kira Kuwamoto shines for team VIC after eleventh hour call up | Australian Women's Championships Feature
feature story by Eliza Wood, for more coverage visit www.baseball.com.au/women
Kira Kuwamoto wasn’t meant to be playing nationals.
But after an eleventh-hour call-up due to injury to a Victorian on the eve of the tournament, Kira has been at the centre of some of the highest drama moments at the Australian Women’s Championships.
Let’s start with Wednesday afternoon, day four of the tournament and the final day of pool play.
It kicked off with a ballpark banger between QLD Maroon and Victoria – two 3-1 teams fighting for finals positioning.
Six lead changes, 24 runs, and a 12-12 final scoreline guided Victoria to a tiebreak win and second place overall after the group stages.
Kira Kuwamoto’s name was everywhere.
Her versatility shone with both bat and ball, pitching 3.1 innings, while tallying three hits and three RBI.
First, she tied the game in the fourth to cap off a four run Victorian comeback, helping the charge from 5-1 down.
The biggest moment of all came in the fifth.
Down 9-7 with two runners on, Kuwamoto sent the ball flying into the outfield for a triple, scoring two runs.
She later scored in what is called a ‘Little League Home Run.’ She touched them all.
Touch ’em all, Kira! pic.twitter.com/SmChWoUsb0
— Team Australia ⚾️ (@TeamAusBaseball) April 16, 2025
The feeling of excitement from the Victorian dugout radiated throughout the stands and you couldn’t help but be struck by the joy – it was incredible.
A presence that Kuwamoto herself thrives off.
“If it’s very quiet, it makes me nervous… I just feel [the] energy and get [that] energy when I play, so I love it,” she says.
Smiling from ear-to-ear as she crossed home plate, Kuwamoto was swarmed by her teammates, as the score ticked over to read 10-9 in favour of the VICs.
“The way that everyone got around her was absolutely extraordinary,” shares Victorian head coach Samantha Hamilton.
“The first thing she said was ‘what happened? I have no idea.’ That means she was watching the base coach the whole time, wasn’t watching the ball, just trying to get her work done,” she continues.
You couldn’t have scripted this fairytale performance from Kuwamoto, who last Saturday, the day before national’s began, was sitting on the sidelines.
Hamilton was up against the clock to find a replacement for star outfielder Lily Bell-Tanner, who was devastatingly withdrawn due to a finger injury late in the week.
The priority for Hamilton was to bring in someone who could play outfield, could pitch and importantly, could cohesively slot right into Victoria’s lineup.
“The criteria for us as coaching staff was that they needed to be a part of last year’s team, aware of our signals and our signs and the way our team functions,” explained Hamilton.
Enter Kuwamoto, a player who performed well at the 2024 Australian Women’s Championships.

Above: Kuwamoto with Morgan Doty at the 2024 Showcase
“She’s a big impact player, she’s everyone’s favourite as well and it’s those kind of [qualities] that make her fit into the team straight away,” says Hamilton.
It was clear as day the love and care Kuwamoto has for her teammates and them her.
Grateful to be a part of it all, Kuwamoto is playing for more than just her team this week.
She’s playing for her friend.
“I feel sorry for [her], I just want to play good for LBT (Lily Bell-Tanner),” expresses Kuwamoto.
A commitment she has been living up to since day one of the tournament.
Stepping up to the plate in the rivalry game against NSW – the first match of the tournament – Kuwamoto went 2-for-3, with a single, a double, a RBI, a run and a couple of nice defensive plays.
Ultimately helping Victoria come back from three runs down to beat the Blues late.
Kuwamoto is second on Victoria in hits (7) and second in RBI (7).
Couple this with her highlighted effort today and it’s this kind of magic that only sport can deliver.
A true embodiment of humility, joy and team-first spirit, every team needs a player like Kuwamoto.
With pool play wrapping up and WA securing fourth, all eyes now turn to finals.
Victoria sitting 2nd and QLDM 3rd, these two powerhouse teams will face off again.
The winner advancing to the qualifying final and the loser to the elimination game.
With everything on the line, the road to that elusive gold is going to be an exciting one!
MORE STORIES
- Stat Leaders after Pool Play
- A Quinn-tessential Display of Pitching, by Connie Rowe
- Lila Hall right at home behind the plate, by Connie Rowe
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Follow the action on Day 1 of the Finals: Thursday 17 April Scores & Recaps



































