32 teams in 32 days - Sano Nichidai (Tochigi)

Sano Nichidai makes their 4th trip to Senbatsu after a 7-year hiatus despite the fact that it would be the 2nd place team in prefecture that would eventually win the Kanto Super-Regionals.

Road to Senbatsu
Tochigi Prefecturals

• def. Ishibashi 10x-0 (5 inn)
• def. Tochigi Shougyou 11-0 (5 inn)
• def. Utsunomiya Minami 5-0
• def. Seiran Taito 9-3
• def. Hakuoudai Ashikaga 5-0

Super-Regionals

• def. Toukaidai Koufu 3-1
• def. Yokohama 5-3
• lost Kiryuu Dai-ichi 5-0

Sano Nichidai pretty much dominated Tochigi, defeating both a more than decent Seiran Taito and prefectural upper tier Hakuoudai.  That continued into the super-regionals where they jumped on Yokohama 5-0 after the 1st inning as ace Tajima Taiki (田嶋 大樹) held off one of the more vaunted teams in kokoyakyu.  Their run would end after kantoku Matsumoto Hiroshi (松本 弘司) decided to start Inaba Kousei (稲葉 恒成) over Tajima.  Inaba would only record 2 outs as Kiryuu would score 4 of their eventual 5 runs in the 1st.

Finally I have some information on players on a team.  First of all ace Tajima.  He's a lefty who throws in the low 140s with a forkball and sinker to go along with the standard fare.  Not necessarily a strikeout pitcher, he still gets his fare share of K's while scattering hits across the innings (like against Yokohama).  There may have been some nerves for Inaba, a freshman who throws in the low 130s with at least a slider.  How much he'll be trusted will be unknown.

Other players who have been noted by various sites include, Yoshida ? (吉田 叡生) who is apparently one of their better power hitters though got this bounding single against Yokohama, Takemura Norio (竹村 律生) and Kakizawa Ikuya (柿澤 郁也).  Not much explaining why necessarily, but perhaps these players will be ones to watch come March.

(Even with some info I think a post will be in order regarding how hard it sometimes can be in obtaining information regarding players.)

Next team up... Yokohama (and IMO I'd better find a good reason to have them selected)...