In the summer national high school baseball that started with 49 representative schools, 8 schools have survived.

The quarterfinals with the best four will be held on the 18th.


Aichi's Aichi Meiden High School players, who advanced to the final 8 for the first time in 41 years, continue to make great strides with their late teammates in mind.


(Koshien coverage team, Takuto Nakamura)

suddenly lost friends

Mr. Katsuto Seto was a third-year student.


He is from Aichi, his hometown, and his position is outfielder, and he entered the bench with uniform number "20" at the spring Tokai tournament.

He devotes himself to baseball and plays the role of cheering on the bench.

He was an integral part of the team.



However, June is approaching the last summer.

He suddenly collapsed and died at his parent's house where he was temporarily returning home.

he was heartbroken.



``The third-year students are very close this year.''


Director Mitsuo Kurano believed that teamwork was the secret to the strength of this year's Aiko Daimeiden.

Farewell to a friend who suddenly visited the team.


The players couldn't accept Seto's death right away.



With the Aichi Summer Games approaching, he said he was depressed to the point where he thought he would no longer be able to play baseball.

together instead of parting

It was Mr. Seto who reborn such a team into a group that fought once again.

Seto's name is "Katsuto".



As the name suggests, we restarted with the goal of "winning" and "climbing" the Aichi tournament, saying, "Let's go to Koshien with Katsuto."


The words "Together with Katsuto" were engraved on the brim of the players' hats.

"Together with Katsuto" to Koshien

At the Aichi Tournament, each player did not aim for slugging, but focused on connecting baseball.



In the final, all 18 hits were single hits.

borrow a friend's glove

Seto says that he got along well with all the third-year students.


After the funeral, there was a player who visited Seto's father, Yosuke, and asked him to lend him his glove.


Tohi Mino, who is a third-year outfielder and mainly hits No. 7.



"I still want to play baseball with Katsuto,"



said Mino, who borrowed Mr. Seto's favorite glove, and vowed to stand on the Koshien ground with it.

(Tohi Mino)


“By remembering (Mr. Seto) when I’m in a pinch or when I’m anxious, I feel calmer, saying ‘I’m not alone’ and ‘I’m going to fight with you’. It exists."

"Win" and "climb" to the top

And the battle of Koshien began.

The opponent in the first round is Seiryo High School in Ishikawa.



On the backs of the back-up club members and guardians cheering on the Alps Stand, the words that motivate the team were engraved: "Win and climb to the top."



Among them was Mr. Seto's father, Mr. Yosuke.

(Yosuke Seto, Katsuto's father)


"When I look at the players, I can feel Katsuto, or rather, when the players say Katsuto, Katsuto, I have nothing but joy and gratitude. Katsuto too. I think I feel the same way.At first, I thought it would be hard to go to the stadium, but the players' plays and smiles give me strength.I am grateful for each and every play."

When the game starts, Aiko Daimeiden's batting line will be connected.



In the 1st inning, he scored 3 points and still had 1 out on 2nd base and 3rd base, and No. 7 Mino was at bat.


The hit hit by attracting it went out to the center and became a timely hit of 2 points.


Standing on first base, Mino raised his hands to the sky.

"Thank you for letting me hit you."


I expressed my feelings for Seto-san, who vowed to fight with me, with my body.



Following this, the players looked up at the sky at various times when entering the plate, when hitting, when scoring, when in a pinch.



"Thank you," "Please lend me your strength."

Aiko Daimeiden's batting line overwhelmed Seiryo High School with 14 points on 15 hits in this game.

(Director Mitsuo Kurano)


“I always thought that Koshien was a place where it was difficult to hit. I was surprised by the strength

"3 more wins" to the top

Aiko Daimeiden maintained this momentum in the second round against Aomori Hachinohe Gakuin Kosei High School, catching up with a 4-point lead, and winning the extra time in the end.



Furthermore, in the 3rd round match against Oita Meiho High School, the captain and ace pitcher Katsuhisa Arima allowed only 2 runs, while the batting line scored 5 points for a comfortable victory.


With each match, they became stronger and advanced to the final 8 for the first time in 41 years.

There are at most three games left this summer.



Together with his deceased comrades,



he will challenge Sendai Ikuei High School in Miyagi in the quarter-finals.