Kagoshima Josai Summer 12:36 on August 12th, which challenged the teaching of a former professional baseball player

In the high school baseball exchange game, the second game on the third day, Kagoshima Josai, who will be participating in Koshien for the first time, appeared.

The players challenged the teaching of the former professional baseball player's coach in the last summer.

Former professional baseball player

The team is headed by Makoto Sasaki, a former professional baseball player who was active in Daiei and Seibu, and became a top hitter and stealing baseman.

I took office in January 2018 and have been aiming for a batting line where all players can swing fully and aim for a score from any batting order, using a teaching method that emphasizes independence that “I want you to like baseball”.

Under the guidance of Sasaki-ryu, the team won the semi-finals at the Kyushu tournament last autumn and got the first ticket to Koshien.

With the teaching of the director in mind

There is a player who has practiced silently based on the teaching of Director Sasaki.

Yuya Sunagawa from Okinawa.

Sunagawa had a skin illness in the left shin last summer and was hospitalized for almost a month.

I couldn't even get on the bench because I couldn't make time for the autumn Kyushu tournament that was held soon after I was discharged.

Even so, I have been practicing hard and aiming to play an active part in the yearning Koshien.

Due to the spread of the new coronavirus, the days of being unable to practice in the team continued, but in order to catch up the delay, Sunagawa worked hard on voluntary training during the self-restraint period and won the uniform number "11", an exchange match. I challenged to.

Koshien 1 bat

In the second game, Kagoshima Josai played against Kato Gakuen in Shizuoka.

Both teams watched Koshien's first victory, and Sunagawa watched from the bench.

The match was pre-empted by Kato Gakuen, and it was a tough development where additional points were lost in the final stage.

In the 9th inning, 3rd out, 1st out, 1st base, Sunagawa played as a substitute.

"I was told by the director that I would go, and I was trying to be able to do my own batting with one bat," said Sunagawa, who was enthusiastic about entering the bat.

The batting ball that swung the third ball became a two-base hit to the left, and the opponent's error also overlapped, and the team scored the first score of Koshien.

Although the game lost 1 to 3, Sunagawa who left 1 hit and 1 batting average in the yearning Koshien, "After all Koshien was fun and I was glad to hit it at the end." I looked back with a look.

Sunagawa was desperately practicing in the face of adversity, with the coaching of the director watching him from the time he entered school.

On the stage I yearn for, I showed the full swing with the feeling I was taught and ended the last summer.

(Reporter Toshiya Mochii, Koshien Interview Team)