Softball trip to Taiwan opens Marsalli's eyes to different culture

Jenna Marsalli tried tofu and sushi for the first time last month.

She got a taste of softball, Taiwan-style, too.

Marsalli, a junior at Neuqua Valley, joined the Team Indiana U-18 Gold softball team at the Nantou International Softball Tournament in Nantou, Taiwan, Feb. 20-28. The team played seven games against high school and university teams from Japan, China and Chinese Taipei. Several former Olympic players competed for the teams from Shanghai, China and Chinese Taipei.

Marsalli joined Team Indiana through a connection with her travel team, the Stone City Sharks. Team Indiana is coached by Cara Johnson-Hirsch, a Western Illinois graduate and one-time hitting coach for the Chinese Taipei Olympic team.

The tournament took place at a run-of-the-mill high school field. Chinese Taipei softball, though, was much different - starting with warmups.

"It was so military," Marsalli said. "They have to run together and chant stuff. We couldn't concentrate - we kept on watching them do their stuff."

On the field Marsalli is a power-hitting right-handed hitter. She hit 11 homers for Neuqua as a sophomore.

There aren't many players like her in Taiwan, where lefty slap hitters are the norm top to bottom.

"All lefties, all quick, all slappers," Marsalli said. "We go for power over here in the U.S. It's the opposite there. They're kind of tricky with bunts - you sometimes can't see them coming."

The tournament kicked off with an opening ceremony. That's where the girls were "treated" to an eight-course meal. Chicken broth with the entire chicken in it, and a whole fish, scales and all, were part of the menu.

Don't ask the girls what else they ate.

"They kept bringing plates," Marsalli said, "and telling us to try it, it tastes like chicken."

Team Indiana won two games and tied once, one win a practice game. Marsalli attributed that to not being together long, saying "if we were there for a couple more weeks we would have done well." Conversely, in a warmer climate players from Chinese Taipei are outdoors six hours a day year-round.

In the far eastern culture, umpires and authority figures in general are treated with the utmost respect. Marsalli and her teammates acclimated to that ideal, bowing to the umpires before every at bat.

Marsalli, in fact, won one game for Team Indiana when she communicated to the non-English speaking umpire that a ball did not hit her bat on a close pitch with the bases loaded in a tie game. The winning run scored on a Marsalli walk.

"You don't argue with authority figures there," Johnson-Hirsch said. "Jenna was very patient and communicated with hand gestures. That took a lot of maturity."

Marsalli and Team Indiana only played one game a day, allowing them to take in Taiwan. February temperatures in the mid 80s were a nice change of pace. Marsalli, traveling abroad for the first time, used much of her free time to walk the streets, wading through the open markets.

She saw first-hand the differences in farming between Taiwan and the U.S. and the multitude of locals riding mopeds with masks on to shield themselves from the air. One night at the karaoke they traded local favorites with American hits - Marsalli and the U.S. girls standing up to do "YMCA."

And she gained an appreciation for U.S. culture.

"It was so different," she said, "they're not very up to date electronically."

She wouldn't trade the experience for anything, and Johnson-Hirsch hopes to have her back next year.

"The whole style of play over there, it's so much different," Marsalli said. "You always have to be on your feet."

jwelge@dailyherald.com