There is a reason the biggest championship in baseball is called the "World Series." Baseball truly is a global sport, played worldwide and cherished by all ages.

Riku Mochizuki is proof.

Riku is a 12-year-old baseball player who plays for New Westminster. He's been living in Canada just over a year and a half, after moving from Japan to British Columbia with his parents.

He's current playing in the B.C. Little League Championship and his goal is simple: get to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

"Pitcher, back catcher, outfield and sometimes infield," said Riku about all the positions he plays. He says in Japan baseball is one of the most popular sports and almost every boy knows how to play.

Not surprisingly, Riku's favourite player is Ichiro Suzuki, a Major League player who suits up with the Seattle Mariners.

"It's a little bit different rules," said Riku. He has brought his Japanese baseball style over to Canada, and it has given him a pitching edge.

"I think I'm throwing sideways," smiled Riku. "Everybody else throws like this from the top."

"I can throw faster than from high, I mean overthrow."

Riku learned to play baseball from his father, who also played as a young boy in Japan.

"I started baseball because my dad was playing baseball when he was small, I mean when he was kid, and he told me to play baseball," said Riku.

"[Baseball] is the only thing I can do," he joked.

His teammates know he is a joker. Riku is always laughing and always has a full-toothed grin plastered on his dimpled face.

"He has a very positive attitude and he loves playing," said Markus Zacharak, Riku's teammate. "He's always smiling; there's always a smile on his face. He brings the team up."

Nicknamed "Riku-laaa," like the Swiss cough drop Ricola, Riku is an asset to his team. His positivity is contagious, he loves baseball and doesn't plan on stopping any time soon.

"I am happy always when I am playing baseball," grinned Riku.

With a report from CTV Sports Director Perry Solkowski

Watch Perry's Prospects every Thursday on CTV News at Six and 11:30.