It's called a bat that doesn't fly! ? Actually, what do you think...

``The batted ball doesn't fly as well as it sounds.'' `

`If it goes high, it stalls.''

``The sound of the bat and the speed of the batted ball are different.'' These

are comments from players and managers who participated in Senbatsu after the game.

Starting from this tournament, all metal bats will now meet a new standard with reduced repulsive force.

All 32 participating teams have finished their first match, and we have examined the results from experts' perspectives.

Has the “new metal bat” changed anything? !

Players used metal bats at Koshien with new standards for suppressing repulsive force.

If you pay attention to what players and managers say, first of all there seems to be a difference in the sound of the ball and the flight distance.

Although there are differences depending on the bat, many people have commented that the sound of the batted ball is generally higher than before.

Some players say , ``The sound of the bat and the speed of the ball are different,''

and ``The ball doesn't travel as far as it sounds,'' indicating that they feel that even if the bat makes a good sound, the ball doesn't travel as far.

Tests conducted by the Japan High School Baseball Federation found that the average speed and initial velocity of batted balls were more than 3% slower, and the flight distance was also expected to be 5 to 6 meters lower.

What is it actually like?

Even when we were covering the tournament from the press box behind the back net, there were many cases where liners or fly balls that seemed to go over the heads of the outfield stalled and resulted in outs.

What does the actual data look like?

We compared the hits the participating schools made in the first match with the past two tournaments.

The number of extra-base hits (double hits or higher) decreased significantly compared to the year before (2022), but it was almost unchanged from last year.

In high school baseball, most of the participating schools and players change every year, so a simple comparison cannot be made, but looking at these numbers, the impact of the new standard bats seems to be limited.

We asked NHK's high school baseball commentator about this situation.

Toshihiro Yamaguchi, who played as a fielder for the current Mitsubishi Heavy Industries West, points out that it's not just the distance, but the quality of long hits, and that the change in bats may also have an impact on batters' psychological aspects. doing.

Mr. Toshihiro Yamaguchi

NHK High School Baseball Commentator Toshihiro Yamaguchi

: ``There are a lot of batted balls that don't travel as far or hit poorly.For example, (because they don't fly) the fielding position of the outfielders is extremely forward.In this tournament, there were a lot of long hits. The reason for this is that batted balls that would have been caught if they had been kept in a fixed position until last year went over the head of the outfielder, and balls that flew to the left or right field lines were also weak, resulting in two bases.To the fence. Until now, there were quite a few long hits that either hit the fence directly or rolled all the way to the fence...I think there is a difference between long hits like that.''

``Another thing is that there aren't many players who swing strongly.Even long-distance batters (with the new standard bat) have the impression that if they don't hit the center of the ball, they won't fly far, so they're in a psychological state when they step into their turn at bat.'' I'd say he's a bit reluctant.I think even with today's bats, if you hit the center of the ball, it will fly.I don't know what's the right answer, but I want you to remember to swing hard.''

The team that has taken measures

The coaches and players of the participating schools, who have been working on adapting to the new bat standards since last fall, seem to be realizing once again that their batted balls are not flying as far.

Sakushin Gakuin Tochigi Manager Takahiro Kobari

: ``In terms of the height of the ball, I think it will be difficult to make a hit if we don't try to hit the ball lower rather than up, and hit the ball through the infield more than before.''

Ujiyamada Commercial/Mie Manager Haruki Murata

: ``Fly flies in particular are not flying as well.We had our outfielders defend in front of their regular positions.''

Hikaru Anan/Tokushima Manager Norihiro Takahashi

: ``We hit 400 to 500 balls per person using various types of bats of varying weights and lengths, including wooden bats.The results are showing.''

The player who hit the home run...

After 16 games in the first round, there were two home runs in the tournament.

Among them, Teruta Masabayashi of Kamimura Gakuen (Kagoshima) hit the ball close to the right field pole.

He was assigned No. 4 at Koshien last summer, and is the ``immovable No. 4'' with a total of 10 hits and a batting average of .435 in five games.

Kamimura Gakuen Teruta Masabayashi player

After finishing the Kyushu tournament last fall, I started using a new standard bat.

At the school baseball field where I practice, ``one out of every five home runs'' is said to be a home run, but I was confused at first.

Kamimura Gakuen player Teruhiro Masabayashi

: ``I thought it wouldn't change much, but at first I didn't know where the center of the bat was, so I couldn't hit the ball all the way to the fence. There were no home runs.”

“As I started using it, I felt that if I hit the ball with the center of the bat, I could hit the ball farther.So I decided to practice hitting with the center of the bat, and I worked on improving the quality of my batting and doing weight training in the lead up to the tournament. I did.”

In addition to eating more food during the winter and gaining 10 kilograms compared to last fall, I also spent more time doing strength training during practice to improve my power.

I faced Senbatsu while getting a feel for the new bat.

Teruhiro Masabayashi

: ``At the moment I hit the ball, I didn't know if it was going to go in, but the moment I knew it was going in, I was happy.If you hit the center of the ball well, I don't think there will be any problems even with a low-repulsion bat.Batting Techniques My awareness of improving myself has changed a lot, and I'm glad I was able to put in what I've been doing and hit a home run."

Will the “new bat” hold the key to victory? !

The batters were able to turn their measures into results, and the teams were unable to do so.

However, whether the ball flies or not depends not only on the bat, but also on various factors such as the ability of the pitcher and batter, as well as the unique wind at Koshien Stadium.

All the teams that participated have finished their first matches, and with many of the balls being hit seem to have been influenced by the "new metal bat," all eyes are on whether or not the "bat" will hold the key to winning the championship in the future.

(Koshien coverage team) Yasuhiro Namimatsu, Shito Gushi, Seigo Matsuo, Shunsuke Yamada