The Red Sox, Popcorn and BU Softball: The Story of Kasey Ricard

Photos courtesy Kasey Ricard, Matt Woolverton and BU Athletics

The first day in a new job can be stressful.

Wondering how you will fit in with your co-workers, what the environment will be like and how well you will do all races through the mind.

Now factor in you will be performing in front of an audience of over 37,000 people and a nationwide television audience and you have the first day of work for Boston University sophomore pitcher Kasey Ricard.

It was March 30, 2023, Opening Day of the season for the Boston Red Sox and Ricard was at her first day as a Red Sox ball attendant.

“Walking onto the field for the first time was really cool because I’ve never been down there,” Ricard said. “You see it on TV, but being down on the field and walking through the gate and the outfield for the first time was definitely a surreal experience.

“I was like, oh my gosh, I’m really down here right now. And then being on the field so close to the players, I was like, okay, I’ve got to keep my cool. I can’t show them that I’m starstruck right now.”

Ricard, who is from nearby Littleton, Mass., grew up a Red Sox fan and her favorite player is Red Sox legend David Ortiz.

Her first game as a ball attendant took her to an even greater level of being starstruck when Ortiz was one of the first ball participants.

“Opening Day was a great experience. I got to do the pregame ceremonies and it was the best one all year long. Devin McCourty from the Patriots, Shawn Thornton of the Bruins, Dana Barros of the Celtics and Big Papi (David Ortiz) were there. All of them came out and I had to meet them at the mound and hand them the balls to throw the first pitch and I got to shake their hands.

“And Big Papi even handed me his phone. He was like, take a video of me throwing out the first pitch. And I’m like, okay, I don’t know if I can do this, but I can’t say no to you right now.”

It was the start of a special summer for Ricard as she continued to pile up memories throughout the season.

“On my first day the Red Sox gave me all this stuff and I was like, wow. I have every jersey they wear, I have the pants they wear, the socks they wear and even down to the shoes. I took a picture of myself and sent it to my parents. I’m like, oh my gosh, I’m wearing everything that they wear.

“But it’s a really cool experience just getting to interact with the players. They’ll throw me the balls that they’ll use during warm-ups to give to fans, and they’ll wave to me when I walk by the dugout, when I say hi to all of them. And then the third base coach comes over and talks to me when I’m on the third base side. I’m like, oh my gosh, this is crazy.”

She also was able to interact with players from the opposing team.

“The bullpen catcher for the Houston Astros came over to me during their series and was asked if I can throw with the right fielder and the center fielder every inning. I’m like, throw with them? Don’t you guys have players that can come throw with them? So, every inning I was throwing with Kyle Tucker from the Astros. I was thinking I can’t make a bad throw right now.”

From interviewing for the position, to Opening Day, to interaction with the Red Sox players and players from the opposing team, it was a memorable summer for Ricard.

“But all my bosses with the Red Sox are really nice and it’s a very good working environment.”

*****

When Boston University head coach Ashley Waters is looking for Kasey Ricard during a gameday she knows exactly how to find her.

Follow the trail of popcorn.

“Her parents bring her this extra-long bag of popcorn and whether she’s pitching game one or game two, it doesn’t make a difference, this bag exists throughout the entire day,” Waters said. “She just carries it around with her, but I’ll look over and there’s just like popcorn and kernels popping out of her mouth. I find popcorn pieces on the field, and you can track Kasey by popcorn kernels.”

Most often you will find Ricard in the circle for the Terriers, which is exactly where BU fans want to see her.

Fueled by her super food of popcorn, Ricard turned in a magical season in 2023 in which she finished the year with a 20-3 record, a 1.89 earned run average and 192 strikeouts.

She was named National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First Team All-Region, First Team All-Patriot League, Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Rookie of the Year, All-ECAC and College Sports Evaluation Freshman All-American.

She also was named Patriot League Pitcher of the Week five times and was selected as the Patriot League Rookie of the Week four times.

For good measure, Ricard was also named an NFCA Scholar-Athlete and was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.

She credits the BU coaching staff and fellow pitchers Allison Boaz and Lizzy Avery for allowing her to make a smooth transition into collegiate softball.

“I knew we had one of the best pitching staffs in the country because the year before I was here, they broke records. I was really excited to come and join them and work with them and be a part of the staff.

“Then when I got here and I got some innings, it was a really cool experience. All our pitchers were very supportive. We don’t want to take anything away from anyone. Having everyone have success on the field is a big part of our philosophy. We want what’s best for the team. Everyone wants what’s best for the team. Having that support behind me definitely allowed me to have such a successful season.”

Waters saw the addition of Ricard as benefiting the entire pitching staff.

“I think they genuinely helped each other. Lizzy and Alli carried the load the year before and if they had a bad day there wasn’t someone stepping in to help them,” Waters said. “Kasey coming in created this phenomenal trio. Their support and love for one another is special.

“They didn’t want a pitcher coming out of a game and they wanted to help them get through it. The mentality was we’re in this together and let’s find a way to get wins and it was never about one person.”

It didn’t take long for Waters and her staff to see they had a special player in Ricard.

Her first start in a Terrier uniform came against USF in the Rawlings USF Invitational. She went 6.0 innings and allowed just three hits while striking out eight batters on the way to an impressive 8-0 win.

“Kasey loves a challenge and loves the competition,” said Waters. “I think the bigger the moment the more she shines. She’s like I’m going to execute my best pitch right now on the biggest stage. She’s just a fierce competitor with just insane talent.”

“Being able to play all these big teams was really surreal for me,” said Ricard. “Growing up, I would just watch all these big schools compete against each other. Having us being able to go against them and me being able to pitch was a great moment.

“I’m a big competitor and I always want to play the big teams. Whenever we’d have someone come up on the schedule where they were known to be a bigger name, I would be like, Coach, I want to pitch. It definitely was a memorable season.”

The USF game was just the start.

“I think after our first series at USF, once we started our opening weekend, I just remember I wanted to be out on the field. And then when my time finally came and I showed up and I competed just like how coach wanted me to, I think my confidence settled in and I was just ready to go the rest of the season.”

She threw a one-hit shutout in a win over Georgia Tech and picked up 10 strikeouts in a shutout victory over Baylor.

Her top performance may have come in the weekend series against Holy Cross in Patriot League play.

She pitched a scoreless 1.1 innings in the opener of the three-game series as the Terriers posted an 11-1 victory.

In game two, she tossed a one-hit shutout with a career-high 17 strikeouts to lift Boston University to a 6-0 win.

She saved the best for last as she pitched a no-hitter in the series finale as the Terriers rolled to a 9-0 win.

“It was probably the coldest day of the year for us when we played. I remember just trying to focus on staying warm. I don’t even think I knew what inning it was by the time the game was over because I was running around the whole day just trying to stay warm. I had six hand warmers in my pocket. Between every pitch, I’d have to grab a hand warmer so I could feel my fingers. But once I threw that final pitch and it was sealed as a no-hitter, it was a really cool experience. I remember Audrey Sellers, my catcher, coming up and hugging me and saying you just threw a no-hitter.”

Boston University finished the season with a 52-10 overall record and a 17-1 record in Patriot League play. The Terriers claimed the Patriot League Tournament title with a victory over Army West Point to secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

BU advanced to the Athens Regional of the NCAA Tournament and posted a 1-2 record, which included an 8-0 victory over North Carolina Central.

Boston University has a talented roster, but Ricard credits the team dynamic for helping push the Terriers to greater heights.

“Our team is like a family and that was instilled to me the day I got on campus last year. Our big saying is we want to win for each other, not just for ourselves. I want to win for every single other girl on the team before I want to win for myself, and we carried that mentality throughout our whole season.

“And having that mentality of we don’t care who we’re playing against. We’re going to always give it our all. Even at practice, everyone’s giving 110 percent. We kind of have a chip on our shoulder because we’re from the Northeast. Why can’t we go out and compete with all these big-name teams? Every single time we go somewhere, we say nobody but us.”

The Boston University team culture is established during the recruiting process.

“We do a lot a lot of work in the recruiting process, and we are looking for sincere, kind, good human beings to start with,” Waters said. “We’ve let go of a lot of really great athletes who potentially could have propelled us or got us to a different spot, but it wasn’t worth it.

“These kids have four more years to play this sport. They’re not going to go pro, so they’re coming here for the degree and to compete. The way for them to spend four years here and choose to do it over and over again is by surrounding them with great people. Our team’s genuinely a family and that love is real.”

That type of mindset also has Ricard focused on improving this season.

“I want to be able to pitch more complete games instead of having teams catch on to me and start to be able to hit me later in the game. I just want to be dominant the whole game. But that just comes with practice and focusing on other pitches and spotting pitches well.

“We have a new pitching coach this year, Allie Brewster, and she’s been a great addition to the staff. I love her already and I’ve only known her for two weeks. So, it’s a good addition and I think she’ll really contribute to not only our mentality, but how we perform on the field.”

Boston University has appeared in the NCAA Tournament in eight of the last 13 seasons and has won five straight Patriot League regular season titles.

Understanding the dynamic of being a championship program is what has helped set the Terriers apart from the rest of the league.

“Everyone’s coming for us, everyone wants to play us, and everyone wants to beat BU,” said Ricard. “It’s more about focusing on us and playing our game versus going to the level that other people are playing at.

“Being on top of our game all the time, consistently, and competing in every way possible to stay on top. We want to show you that we’re the best team in the Northeast and that we can compete with anyone. It’s keeping that mentality of staying confident, but also just working hard every day to be at that level.”

While Waters is thrilled to have Ricard dealing in the circle, she’s prouder of having her represent BU softball.

“She’s incredibly smart, she’s beautiful and she’s talented – she is the full package. People genuinely enjoy being around her because she has a great personality. Some kids during their freshman year shy away, but Kasey was in the mix since the moment she stepped on campus.

“She’s just different and unique and silly but at the same time she has every intangible that you want in an athlete, and she wants to be the best. There are so many things about her that make her a coach’s dream.”

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