The Common Interest Management Gael Spotlight is a monthly feature story about Saint Mary's Athletics and a behind-the-scenes look at the Gaels.
MORAGA, Calif — Alex Casas spent the summer in between her junior and senior seasons doing what most student-athletes do: working on their craft to get better and better every day. Alex Casas achieved that during the summer in a way that most student-athletes don't get the chance to do: playing for a national team.
Over the summer, Casas trained and competed with Team Mexico and was able to soak in experiences at the Canada Cup and the 2022 World Games, two separate tournaments that took place in North America. It all seemed to happen in the blink of an eye for Casas, who remembers the tryout process and the shock of finding out that she was chosen for the team.
"I tried out during winter break [in 2021], and there were a lot of girls there," she said with a bit of a laugh. "I wouldn't say I was nervous, more excited. I felt good, I felt comfortable. After the tryout, the coaches pulled me and my best friend Jill [Celis, of San Diego State] aside and told us that we need to get our passports, and we couldn't believe it was real. We waited until we found out for sure that we were on the team, and I got a personal message in January. That's when I freaked out."
The process went by in a blur for Casas, who suddenly found herself in Canada playing against some of the best softball players in the world. It was a humbling moment for Casas, who grew up watching others that were in this summer's Canada Cup, and now she had the chance to go toe-to-toe with them.
"The Canada Cup introduced me to international competition. I saw these elite athletes when I watched them on TV when I was 12," Casas relayed. "I never would have imagined myself competing against these athletes that I watched. Just being around those athletes that I've watched…I always knew, with my hard work, and my love for the game, I can do what she's doing on TV. It really humbles me."
It's no secret that Casas is one of the most versatile and talented Gaels on the roster. Last season, she was one of just two Gaels to start all 47 games, led the team in runs batted in, and finished second on the squad in hits, batting average, and runs scored. She did all of this while appearing all over the infield, and she's also spent time in the outfield and behind the plate in her collegiate career.
She got a taste of that during her international play this summer, appearing all over the diamond, with time behind the plate and on the infield. She helped Mexico to a win in their second game of the Canada Cup, a 4-0 victory over the Aussie Spirit Development team, and in the 2022 World Games, she played in all five competitions for Mexico, helping them to an eighth-place finish.
Perhaps the most special moment of the entire summer came at the World Games, where Casas received an honor that few in their lifetime can achieve. She was chosen to carry the country's flag during the opening ceremony, leading out all of her fellow athletes from Mexico.
Casas remembers hearing for the first time that she was going to hold the flag, and the emotions immediately hit her. "My coaches came up to me and told me that they wanted me to carry the flag, and I got so emotional and my eyes were watery," she remembered as her face lit up from the memory. "They told me that they thought I'd be a great representative to walk for Mexico. That's an incredible honor."
Alex Casas carries the flag for Mexico during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2022 World Games
Coming out from the tunnel and into the crowd, some 27,000 strong inside Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, cheering on all of Mexico is a moment that Casas will never forget.
"The fact that they [the fans] look up to us athletes makes me realize how hard we worked. I am in great place right now," Casas said. "I just took it all in and continued walking with the flag and just kept thinking how crazy it was. The cheers, the people yelling 'Mexico!' It felt good, it felt like I belonged there."
She was not the only one appearing in international competition this summer, with her current Gael teammate Allyssa Alano (Philippines), and incoming freshman Chelsea Bennett (Australia) also playing in Canada at the Canada Cup. Not only that, but recently-graduated infielder Jayda Alaan played for the Philippines a few years ago, giving Casas plenty of teammates to glean information off of and share the experience with.
"I would ask Jayda a lot of questions to understand her perspective because I hadn't competed internationally before," explained Casas. "She would tell me to make the most of it and that I'll love it, and how her best memories of softball were playing internationally. So that motivated me and got me excited for it. I didn't meet Chelsea in Canada because she was playing at a lower level, but Allyssa was there and I loved watching her play and being there with her. I kept thinking how crazy it was. We're both playing for Saint Mary's but now we're playing for countries and competing against each other in Canada."
Casas is one of the most dedicated workers on the Gaels, and that work ethic instilled in her was passed down by her upbringing from her parents. She talked a lot about how valuable her upbringing was, and how they helped set her up for the success she is now enjoying.
"I grew up watching the best athletes. My dad highlighted that for me," recalls Casas. "He would tell me, 'see the way he works hard? If you work as hard as he did, you can do it.' Now that I'm here, my senior year, at the level I've competed against, I realized that I have lived a lifestyle of the most elite athletes in a way of discipline and focus. The college experience, friendships, who you want to be close to regarding your goals and what they honor and respect. This is all unconscious, I had no idea until I started watching more documentaries, and I was like 'oh, I knew that, I do this too.' I'm extremely grateful that my dad did that to me."
Another aspect of her work ethic is built on toughness. Few will work harder and with more determination than Casas. She shared a story with SMC Athletics that hits the hammer on the nail to drive this point home.
"I started playing softball at the age of seven, and I was practicing with my dad, and keep in mind I don't know how to catch a ball well yet. He threw the ball at me pretty hard and I moved my glove to try and catch it but it hit my eye. I fell to the ground and I was crying and crying. My dad took care of me, but he didn't say that he was sorry. He asked me, 'why did you move your glove?'
"But that didn't scare me. I didn't want to quit softball, never. It never came to my mind that I wanted to quit or that I was afraid of the ball. It helped give me the mentality that I wanted to catch that ball to prevent that from happening again."
All of these moments of pain growing up from the sport of softball would be referred to as "another memory" by her mother. The journey is full of bumps and bruises along the way, but her mother helped Casas remember to enjoy the ride through all the ups and downs.
Now that Casas has had all of this international experience, what's left for her to achieve? Everything, she says. There is always something else to strive for, something else that motivates her and keeps her hungry for success.
"There's always something greater ahead," she explained. "Yeah, I achieved playing for team Mexico, but now I have another goal, right? So that's my new stepping stone. So, I'm going to be in Mexico, compete with Mexico, and try to do my best with Mexico, and then achieve my next goal, which would be Athletes Unlimited."
That next step will happen after college, of course. And Gaels fans should be full of excitement for the upcoming season with Casas as one of the star players on a Saint Mary's team looking to make noise in the West Coast Conference. The senior season for Casas should be another great memory.
