On the fifth day of the Senbatsu High School baseball tournament, three games will be played in the first round.
◇1st match
The first game will be against Kagoshima's Kamimura Gakuen, who will be participating for the 6th time in 9 years, and Tochigi's Sakushin Gakuen, who will be appearing for the 12th time for the second consecutive year.
Kamimura Gakuen has a strong batting lineup with many members who experienced the best four in the national high school baseball tournament last summer.
The steady No. 4, Teruta Masabayashi, had 10 hits and a batting average of .435 in five games last summer, and will lead this year's team as well.
For Sakushin Gakuin, one of the pitchers to watch this tournament, Teppei Ogawa, is the pillar of the team.
He is an authentic right-handed pitcher who throws powerful fastballs with a speed of 147km/h, and he pitched well with an ERA of 1.07 in official games last fall, contributing greatly to his runner-up finish at the Meiji-Jingu Tournament.
◇2nd match
In the second match, Osaka Toin High School, which is participating for the 15th time in five consecutive years, the longest of any participating school in this tournament, will compete against Hokkaido's Hokkai High School, which will be participating for the 14th time for the first time in three years.
Osaka Toin has a strong pitching staff, including ace pitcher Katsutoshi Hirashima, who throws the fastest fastball at 154km/h, and pitcher Haruki Mori, who is a second-year pitcher but has a fastball of over 150km/h.
If they win, manager Koichi Nishitani will bring his total number of wins at Koshien in the spring and summer to 68, matching the all-time record.
Many of Hokkai's key players, including No. 3 hitter Mikage Horomura and catcher Hirona Oishi, experienced walk-off wins in two consecutive games at Koshien last summer.
There is a connection between the batting lineups, and at last year's Meiji-Jingu Tournament, they have refined their batting lineup by quickly using a new standard metal bat with reduced rebound.
◇3rd match
The third game is a meeting of teams that have won Senbatsu championships, with Aichi's Aiko Daimeiden High School facing off against Hyogo's Hotoku Gakuen.
Aiko Daimeiden's team batting average in official games last fall was .393, the third highest among participating schools, and the center axis is filled with players with long-hitting ability.
No. 3 Soma Iwami and No. 4 Ken Ishijima have both experienced Koshien since the summer of their first year, and hit a home run last fall.
Hotoku Gakuen's pitching staff, which includes two right-handed pitchers who greatly contributed to last year's runner-up finish, allowed just 10 runs in 10 official games last fall.
Pitcher Ayumu Magi, the captain, is known for his tenacity in a pinch, and in the official game last fall, he pitched over 41 innings, leaving an overwhelming ERA of 0.22, and this morning, pitcher Yuki Maru became the fastest pitcher to exceed 150 km. His powerful pitching, which he pushes in on a straight line, shines.