The summer national high school baseball season will begin on the 6th at Koshien Stadium.


Just before the tournament, the players of the representative schools were confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus one after another, and it is expected that the tournament will be difficult to manage.

The 104th summer national high school baseball tournament will be attended by 49 representative schools that have won the local tournament.



While Osaka Toin High School is aiming for their third consecutive spring/summer title, and Chiben Wakayama High School is aiming for consecutive summer titles, four schools are making their first appearance: Sapporo Otani High School in southern Hokkaido, Meishu Hitachi High School in Ibaraki, Sha High School in Hyogo, and Teikyo in Ehime. Fifth High School aims for its first victory.



At the tournament, the players of the representative school were infected with the new corona one after another just before the opening, and the Takanoren = Japan High School Baseball Federation and others changed some schedules so as not to lose the opportunity to participate as much as possible, and on the 8th. I took an unusual measure to make the first match in the eyes.



On the other hand, at the opening ceremony on the 6th, all the players from the representative schools were supposed to go around the stadium, but it was changed to a format in which only the captain marched as a countermeasure against infection.



This year's tournament is the last Koshien for third-year students who have been affected by Corona since the beginning of their enrollment, and while Takanoren and others are expected to run a difficult tournament, they said, "Thoroughly implement the necessary infection control measures to manage the tournament and improve the feelings of the players. I want to respond," he said.



The tournament will be held with the general public for the first time in three years, and will be held for 17 days, including a rest day on the 3rd.

1st Match Nihon University Mishima Taikoku Gakuin Tochigi

In the first match, Shizuoka's Nihon University Mishima High School and Kokugakuin Tochigi High School, both returning to summer Koshien after more than 30 years, will play against each other.



Nihon University Mishima is an ace with a powerful fastball, and pitcher Haruto Matsunaga, who is also the core of the batting line, is the center of pitching and batting.



With the motto of all baseball, we will surely connect chances to goals with a sense of connection.



Kokugakuin Tochigi has a seamless batting lineup, as well as 15 stolen bases in 6 games at the Tochigi tournament, which is also a weapon.



In defense, we will have several powerful pitchers centered on second-year pitcher Tomoya Morinaga, who has a fastball that exceeds 140 km/h.

2nd Match: Meiho vs. Ikutoku

In the second match, Oita's Meiho High School will face Gunma's Jutoku High School.



Meiho has a strong batting lineup that has been strengthened through batting practice using wooden bats, and recorded an average of 10.4 points per game at the Oita tournament.



Solid fielders support the type of pitchers who defend and let them hit.



At the Gunma Tournament, Shutoku defeated high schools that had participated in Koshien one after another, and decided to participate for the first time in 30 years.



The “Kamekame Battery” of ace pitcher Soku Kamei, who pitched almost all six games at the Gunma Tournament alone, and catcher Kameda Rintaro, will lead the team.

3rd Match Kyoto International vs Ichinoseki Gakuin

The third match will be between Kyoto Kokusai High School, who advanced to the top 4 despite their first appearance last summer, and Ichinoseki Gakuin of Iwate, who will be participating for the first time in 12 years.



The Kyoto International team will be led by Ryudai Morishita, an ace pitcher who is attracting attention as a professional with a top speed of over 140km, and Jundai Hirano, who experienced Koshien last summer.



This year's spring senbatsu will withdraw from the competition just before the opening due to the outbreak of the new corona, and will bring his frustration to this tournament.



Ichinoseki Gakuin has a wide variety of pitchers, including right overthrower Kota Terao and underthrower Ryosuke Ono, who are both sophomores.



In addition, attention is also paid to the slugging power that hit 10 home runs, which is the most among participating schools.



This tournament will be held with the general public for the first time in three years, and the performance by the brass band will also be revived, although it is not possible to speak.



I can't take my eyes off the cheering of each school at Koshien, which is slowly regaining its original appearance.