Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Hokushinetsu region up

I've finished the Hokushinetsu region, and we have some super-regional participants determined. I'll go into more detail when I go through a countrywide summary later this week.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Chuubu Region up

Ok, the Chuubu region is up now. Next up will be the Hokushinetsu region.

Fall Tournament Prefectural Updates (Part 3)

Kyoto
It's all about rematches. Ryuukokudai Heian and Fukuchiyama Seibi will clash heads once again in the quarterfinals. With the poor performance of Heian in the Natsu Koshien, I'm sure Seibi will want to show that they're the better team.

And perhaps the winner will take the #1 seed. However, the other 2 Natsu Koshien Best 4 teams are here as well. The winner could face Tounan and Higashiyama sits on the other side of the bracket.

Nara
Nara is only in the round of 16. Tenri is not surprisingly there, and so is Chiben Gakuen. The prefectural runner-up Kooriyama is in as well.

Wakayama
Block play is nearing conclusion. The Best 4 from the Natsu Koshien qualifying (Chiben Wakayama, Minabe, Seirin and Kouyou) get a free pass to the prefectural tournament. With Chiben Wakayama dominating the scene here in Wakayama, it's hard to say who else will go on to the super-regionals.

Hyogo
Half of the Best 8 are set for Hyogo, and Kansei Gakuin without their P/C Ace Yamazaki is not on the list. Notable teams remaining include Touyoudai Himeji and Kakogawa Kita.

Osaka
Osaka has 4 main blocks with the winners facing off. The blocks are either in the semifinals or quarterfinals, and most major teams are still around. Osaka Touin is having no trouble in Block A. PL Gakuen and Riseisha seem to be in a collision course in Block C, and Konkou Osaka may have an easy road in Block D if they can get through Osaka Sangyoudai Fuzuoku.

Tottori
We're in the Best 4 here, and all seeded teams are here with the exception of Yonago Kita who lost to one of the more well known teams in Kurayoshi Kita. They'll face Yazu while their sister school Kurayoshi Higashi meets Tottori Ikuei.

Okayama
Regional play has concluded and we're down to the top 16 teams. These include teams such as Kanzei, Okayama Rikadai Fuzoku, and Kurashiki Kougyou.

Shimane
Unfortunately, Risshoudai Shounan without ace Sakita, was not able to get past their first game as they fell to Hirata 4-3.

The semifinalists include some familiar teams. Iwamichisuikan (formerly known as Gonokawa) faces Izumo Shougyou in one semi while Kaisei meets Hamada in the other.

Hiroshima
Hiroshima has entered the Best 8, but only one notable team still remains in 2007 runner-up Kouryou. Perhaps Onomichi on the other side of the bracket could given them a challenge, but they have to get to the finals first.

Yamaguchi
Regional play has yet to conclude, but the field is wide open. None of the perennial teams are still around! Instead teams such as Tokuyama, Houfu, Ube Koujyou, Saikyou, Shimonoseki Chuo Kougyou and Shimonoseki Shougyou have advanced to the prefectural brackets.

Kagawa
They're in the middle of their round of 16 games with several big-name schools still around. Natsu Koshien representative Sangawa is still there. Takamatsu Shougyou and Jinsei Gakuen are there too, but are playing each other in the quarterfinals.

Tokushima
Tokushima Kita has advanced into the Best 8 with a 3-2 win over Anan. But Naruto Kougyou looms on the horizon while Komatsushima is on the other side of the bracket.

Ehime
The prefectural participants are set, and the top contenders have to be Saijyou, Imabari Nishi, Saibi and Teikyou Dai-go.

Kochi
They're almost in the Best 8, but until they're upset the 3 bids could very well be taken. Those teams are Kochi, Kochi Shougyou and Meitoku Gijuku.

Fukuoka
The north/south regionals are still in the early stages, and with no team really establishing their dominance in recent years, Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku under Wakui-kantoku may emerge to fill in that void. They're still in the tournament right now, but as I said before... it's still early.

Saga
We're still in the opening rounds, and perhaps the only notable thing so far is that seeded Saga Kita lost in the 2nd round to Taku 7-1.

Nagasaki
We're still in regional play, but Seihou without Imamura struggled and lost to Sasebo Tousen 9-8 in the first game. Nagasaki Nichidai got past its first game, but we're still in the opening stages.

Oita
They're still going through the 2nd round here in Oita, but a good number of notable teams are still around such as Meihou, Oita, and Oita Uenogaoka. Hita Rinkou has yet to play, but their first opponent is Kunisaki.

Miyazaki and Kagoshima
These prefectures have yet to start their fall tournament.

Kumamoto
They're going into their 3rd round games right now, and with most teams playing only 1 game so far, there's really little to discern here. All Best 4 teams from the Natsu Koshien qualifiers are still around (Kumamoto Kougyou, Kyushu Gakuin, Hitsuyuukan, and Kumamoto Kokufu).

Okinawa
They're almost in the round of 16 right now. Kounan, under now 3rd year Shimabukuro has to be the front-runner, but at the same time if their offense doesn't improve they won't go far. Should they falter, Okinawa Suisan and Itoman will be glad to pick up the flag and continue on.

Well, I know it's a general review but I'll try to get the brackets up. I'm fortunate that they play primarily on the weekends since it's during the school year.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Fall Tournament Prefectural Updates (Part 2)

Ishikawa
We're in the round of 16. Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa looks to return to Koshien, but to get a guaranteed spot in the super-regionals they may have to face Kanazawa.

They also have company in 2 more summer Best 4 teams in Nanao and Seiryou.

Gifu
We're in the best 8 here and there are a lot of strong teams left here. Both Kenritsu and Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou are still around. For those that don't know, Kenritsu refers to the prefectural school while Shiritsu refers to the city school.

Joining Kenritsu on one side of the bracket is Chuukyou and Oogaki Shougyou. For Shiritsu, it's Oogaki Nichidai.

Aichi
The Natsu Koshien winners aren't stopping. Chuukyoudai Chuukyou has advanced to the Best 8, but has had a little bit of trouble with Daitoudai Daitou and Homare. Standing in their way is Kariya in a rematch of the summer finals, then possibly Oobu, and Touhou could meet them in the finals. But they have ace Morimoto to carry them.

Fukui
They've just started the prefectural qualifiers. All major teams are still in it such as Fukui Koudai Fukui, Tsuruga Kehi, Hokuyou and Fukui Shougyou.

Shiga
Sadly, Shiga Gakuen will not be able to make a repeat appearance, falling in the first round to Hieizan 7-0. The big names are re-emerging. Kita Ootsu, Oumi and Hikone Higashi have advanced to the round of 16.

Mie
Mie is in the Best 8. And I mean that in both ways. The tournament is in the quarterfinals, and Mie is a part of it. They'll have to face Komono though, and should they defeat them Kogakkan may meet them in the semis in a rematch of the Natsu Koshien semifinal qualifier! On the other side is Matsusaka.

Sorry, that wasn't much more of an update tonight. Will try to get more in tomorrow.

Fall Tournament Prefectural Updates (Part 1)

Apologies to any readers about the lack of speed in getting the fall tournament brackets up. I've been very tired and have had little motivation lately to do anything.

I'm still working on the brackets, but with games continuing to go on, I'll go prefecture by prefecture to update what's been going on.

Hokkaido
Regionals are about done with Kushine yet to determine their 2 bids. Teams that have qualified so far are:

Sapporo - Sapporo Minami, Sapporo Dai-ichi, Hokuseidai Fuzoku, Hokkai
Muroran - Komadai Kougyou, Komadai Tomakomai
Hakodate - Hakodate Shougyou, Hakodatedai Fuzoku Yuuto
Otaru - Hokushou
Sorachi - Komadai Iwamizawa, Takikawa Nishi
Asahikawa - Asahikawa Jitsugyou, Asahikawa Kougyou
Nayoro - Wakkanai Ootani
Kitami - Kitami Hokuto, Engaru
Tokachi - Obihiro Nougyou, Shirakaba Gakuen

All the big names had little trouble in the regionals and it may be an interesting finals.


Aomori
Aomori has reached the Best 4 and as usual there are a lot of familiar names. Seiai meets up against Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi in one semifinal while Kousei Gakuin meets up with Aomori Yamada. If 3 teams come out of this region, expect both of the 2nd semifinalists to make it, which makes the game between Seiai and Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi to be of great importance.

Akita
Akita is also in the Best 4. And like Aomori, there is a stacked semifinal (Akita Shougyou vs. Honjyou), so for the other 2 semifinalists in Kanaashi Nougyou and Oga Kaiyou, their game is of great importance.

Iwate
This is a more balanced Best 4 in Iwate. Hanamaki Higashi without Kikuchi just isn't as good (as shown in the summer Koushien) and lost to Senshuudai Kitakami 4-2 in the quarterfinals.

Ichinoseki Gakuin looks to not get shunned this year, and faces the weakest of the 4 in Kanegasaki giving them a good chance of making the "superregionals". Senshuudai Kitakami will meet Moriokadai Fuzoku in what should be a good matchup.

Yamagata
The Nihon Yamagata-Sakata Minami final is almost a reality now as Nihon Yamagata will meet Yamagata Jyouhoku while Sakata Minami faces Yamagata Chuo.

Miyagi
We're in the Best 8 here, and half the bracket is wide open after Izumi Shouryou defeated Touhoku 2-1. Sendai Ikuei and Touhou are approaching a semifinal clash while Seiwa Gakuen, Ishimaki Shougyou and Kesennuma Kouyou look to take full advantage of Izumishou's upset.

Fukushima
I barely remembered that Seikou Gakuin was the representative from Fukushima. And given that only other team I remember is Kounan (who has been eliminated), they are probably the front runners to advance out of the region. Nihon Touhoku also will be expected to advance as they speed through the other side of the bracket.

Tochigi
We're almost in the Best 8. Sakushin Gakuin will meet Utsunomiya Kougyou in one quarterfinal while Yasaka Chuo will face Ootawara in the other. On the other half which is still in the round of 16, there is an interesting matchup with Utsunomiya Minami meeting Bunsei Geijyutsudai Fuzoku. The winner of that game could very well earn a bid in the superregionals.

Gunma
The dream of seeing a leek at Koshien next spring is over. Tokyo Noudai Dai-ni loses to Maebashi 6-3 in the round of 16. Kiryuu Dai-ichi also lost in the round of 16 falling to Takasaki Kougyou 4-3.

This opens up the brackets to all teams, but the front-runners to advance are probably Maebashi Shougyou, Maebashi Shougyou and Kiryuu Shiritsu Shougyou.

Ibaraki
The prefectural bracket has been drawn, and it'll be interesting as both Jyousou Gakuin and Shimotsuma Dai-ni are on the same side of the bracket and it's possible that only one of those teams will advance.

Saitama
The regionals are not done yet, but Urawa Gakuin has already advanced. Seibou Gakuin looks to earn a spot as they play against Saitama Heisei.

Chiba
Man, there was (is!) a quadrant of death in the Chiba prefectural qualfiers! We're in the round of 16 and these 2 matchups could easily be prefectural semifinals! Who are they?
  • Narashino vs. Tokaidai Bouyou
  • Chiba Keizaidai Fuzoku vs. Kisaradzu Sougou
You may ask, Tokaidai Bouyou?

Tokaidai Bouyou has a pitching prospect in Mashita Takayuki(?) who can almost hit 90 and has a curve and slider. It's too bad that these teams will be eliminated before the superregionals.

Tokyo
Block play has not yet been completed, but several notable teams have advanced to prefectural play such as Toritsu Yukigaya and Waseda Jitsugyou.

Kanagawa
Looking at who's left in the Best 4, there's almost none of the major teams left! What happened?

Yokohama? Lost to semifinalist Touin Gakuen 11-8 in the first game! Yokohama Hayato? Lost to Keio 8-3 in the round of 16. Keio? Lost to Tokaidai Sagami in the quarterfinals!

And so Toukaidai Sagami will face Koujyou in one semifinal while Touin Gakuen will meet Kamakura Gakuen in the other.

Niigata
After Nihon Bunri's amazing run in the Natsu Koshien, they sneak into the superregionals. They lost in the semifinals to Niigata 4-0, then lost in the consolation games 4-2 to Bunsui. But they should sneak in as the number 4 team. The #1 seed out of Niigata is Chuuetsu who defeated Niigata 5-4.

Yamanashi
Man, my team in Nihon Koukuu just can't get anything going. Despite earning a seed, they lose in the first round to Koufu Kougyou. Ugh.

Your eventual winner will probably come out of one side of the bracket which has teams such as Teikyou Dai-san, Tokaidai Koufu, Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku and Fuji Gakuen.

Toyama
Nanto Sougou Fukuno is trying to make another run to Koshien. Standing in their way sits Fujikoshi Kougyou and Takaoka Shougyou. An interesting team that's left is the combined team of Nantou Sougou Fukumitsu and Inami who is still in it, but will face seeded Takaoka Kougyou.

Nagano
Regional play has concluded and there are many notable teams remaining such as Matsushiro, Maruko Shuugakukan, and Matsushou Gakuen.

Shizuoka
We're in the best 8, and Tokoha Tachibana may very well be taking the torch from Kikugawa now as possibly the preeminent team in Shizuoka. Standing in their way are established teams such as Kakegawa Nishi, Seisei Kougyou, and Shizuoka Shougyou.

Will continue after my bowling league tonight.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Tokyo Region up!

The Tokyo regionals are up. 24 blocks, with 2 from each block advancing. All the major teams are still in it so far, and should be expected to advance to the prefectural brackets.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Kanto region updated

All brackets for the Kanto region (ex Tokyo) are up with the exception of Kanagawa which I'm trying to find.

9/16 - 7 AM - Kanagawa has been updated as well. Yokohama Hayato had another good run, but couldn't pull off another upset against Keio. The team they did upset though, Yokohama, lost in their first game to Touin Gakuen 11-8!

Monday, September 14, 2009

2009 Fall Tournament - Kanto Regionals

Well, I'm working on the Kanto region now - more specifically Chiba-ken. They have a 2 stage process where the teams compete in regional play with the winners earning the top seeds. Then the losers are brought into small group play with the winners earning bids. Yachiyo Higashi automatically gets one.

Quick review of the prefectures:

Gunma - Tokyo Noudai Dai-ni was given no favors after losing to Risshoudai Shounan. They drew one of the 6 extra game spots. They've shrugged it off though, reaching the round of 16.

I still think though that if they ever make it, instead of using radishes, they should use leeks. Automatic win. (Maybe some of you will get the reference)

And it wouldn't be Gunma without Kiryuu Dai-ichi, although they squeaked by Oota 3-2 in the round of 32.


Tochigi - Sakushin Gakuin starts it's repeat run (repeat in the sense of winning the prefecture again) with a convincing 10-0 run over Mooka Hokuryou.

Hakuoudai Ashikaga also has made it to the next round defeating Ashikaga Seifu 8-1.


Ibaraki - They're still in small group play right now. Jyousou Gakuin gets a free pass to prefectural play.


Saitama - Small group play is just getting started. Seibou Gakuen has yet to play, while Urawa Gakuin defated Oomiya Musashino 4-1.


Chiba - I know the 1st and 2nd stage brackets aren't completed, but you can see Narashino, Chiba Keizaidai Fuzoku, Kisaradzu Sougou in the brackets. Yachiyo Higashi earned a direct bid, but not a seeded spot.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Thursday, September 10, 2009

2009 Fall Tournament - Hokkaido/Tohoku Regionals

I've been a bit busy and burned out recently, but here is part of the Hokkaido/Tohoku regionals (no Aomori and Fukushima yet).

As you can see from my explanations earlier, some places have triple-elimination to get to the prefectural tournament.

Hokkaido has just started, and Sapporo Dai-ichi routed Sapporo Takuhoku 17-1 to begin their run.

In Akita, the central regionals have some good names. Akita defeated Yashima 7-0, Meiou defeated Akita Tousen 8-1 and Honjyou defeated Akita Chuo 6-5.

While their run in Koshien was brought to an abrupt end. Hanamaki Higashi had automatically qualfied, and only had a one game playoff in their region. They defeated Hanamaki Minami 9-8 and earned the 1 seed from their region.

Yamagata will see many of the usual suspects in the prefectural qualifiers. Nihon Yamagata, Haguro, Sakata Minami all have earned spots. Yonezawa Chuo has already qualified as well, but will face Kunori Gakuen to take the top spot in the Okitama regional. The last Best 4 teams in Shinjyou Higashi needs a little bit more work. They lost to Shinjyou Kita 5-0 in the Saihoku regional final and will now face the winner of the Kita-Murayama and Higashine Kougyou matchup. They'll have one more chance should they lose that game in the 2nd repechage.

And in Miyagi, Sendai Ikuei and Tohoku will make their appearance in the prefectural finals. Sendai Ikuei takes the inside track after defeating Tohoku 9-2.