BU’s Ricard Aces First Season as Red Sox Ball Girl
Top StoriesKasey Ricard was already nervous about her first day on the job when she arrived at Fenway Park for Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season.
Although she knew the basics of being a ball girl for the Boston Red Sox, Ricard didn’t know everything the job entailed.
The Boston University ace didn’t realize she would be helping with ceremonial first pitches.
As she saw a quartet or former Boston professional stars approach the mound, Ricard reminded herself to “keep it together” and not get “starstruck.”
Richard, a Littleton, Mass., native had grown up watching Red Sox Hall of Famer David “Big Papi” Ortiz, recently-retired New England Patriots star Devin McCourty, former Boston Bruins player Shawn Thornton and former Boston Celtics player Dana Barros.
Before he grabbed the baseball, Ortiz handed Ricard his phone and asked her to record for Instagram Live.
“I was fumbling the phone around a little bit. I didn’t know if I was supposed to be doing this for work,” Ricard said. “But coming off the field, they told me, ‘nice job.’ You can’t say no to Big Papi. I had to do it.”
Shawn Thornton, Dana Barros, Devin McCourty, Big Papi throwing out the first pitches #wcvb @RedSox @NHLBruins @Patriots @celtics pic.twitter.com/wzKo76Q56v
— Duke Castiglione (@DukeCastiglione) March 30, 2023
Ricard is carrying on a program tradition as a Red Sox ball girl. Three former BU players have worked for the Red Sox – Haley King (2016), Lauren Hynes (’16) and Moriah Connolly (’17).
Ricard applied for the job last year, along with a few of her teammates. She got an interview for the position and started working in late March.
“I thought it would be a cool experience to be a part of,” said Ricard, the 2023 Patriot League Rookie of the Year. “I have been a Red Sox fan my whole life so this was a great way to get to be in Fenway Park on the field and interacting with all the people that worked there.”
It took Ricard a few weeks to get comfortable showcasing her defensive skills in front of a huge crowd and professional players.
“The first couple of games I definitely had a lot of balls come at me and being a pitcher it was definitely a little scary coming at me hard,” she said. “I am not used to a baseball either, so at that point I was just throwing my body in front of the ball hoping I stopped it. I only missed one or two, so it was not too bad. The fans make sure they cheer me on and make sure I’m not embarrassed if I miss one.”
But Ricard received a lot of compliments whenever she had to throw.
“They are like, ‘Man you have a cannon for an arm,’” she said. “A baseball is easier to throw a little bit further than a softball. They are surprised to hear that I play. I have told some people to come watch a game and tell them I am a pitcher at Boston University and they are like, ‘Cool. I have to come watch some games.'”
Ricard garnered a national spotlight a few weeks ago when The Today Show aired a segment that involved Ricard showing co-host Dylan Dreyer what a ball girl does.
Ricard received a text message from her boss about coming to the field on a Friday to film the spot. She was a bit caught off guard.
“’The Today Show, like the national one?’” Ricard recalled asking. “The whole time I didn’t know how the interview would go, but it turned out really good. It was really fun getting to work with Dylan and the Today Show crew and being able to experience that because all of my family watched.”
Ricard appreciated the support of her BU teammates at Red Sox games this season whenever she was working.
“A lot of girls on our team tried out and the team was really happy to see I got it,” Ricard said. “They have been to games and come to watch me and have kind of gotten to experience it with me, which is cool. Our team is like family, so it was good having their support.”
The Terriers are hoping that camaraderie leads to another successful season.
BU set a program and Patriot League record with 52 wins in 2023, the most by a Northeast school since 2002. The Terriers captured their fifth-straight regular-season league title, and were ranked in the NFCA Top 25 poll for the first time since 1996.
Ricard went 20-3 with a 1.89 ERA, .180 opposing batting average and 192 strikeouts in 148.0 innings pitched in her collegiate debut season.
“We have pretty much the same team as we had last year. We lost only two girls and gained five, so our hope for this year is we can only get better,” Ricard said. “We had a historic season last season, but our coach keeps saying we can’t recreate that. We just have to be the best team we can be.”
Although he’s fully focused on her own field again, Ricard plans to return to Fenway Park next year to continue as a Red Sox ball girl.
“It’s a fun summer job and it kind of makes you feel like you are part of the team almost,” she said. “When you are down there that close to everyone and fans look at you for things, that is really cool. I am definitely going to keep doing it.”