Kiryuu Dai-ichi is looking to revive themselves in the world of 高校野球, reaching the quarterfinals 2 years ago after a decent hiatus from the scene.
Ace Uchiike Kakeru (内池 翔) and Aoki Kaito (青木 快人) are the tandem that leads the pitching staff. Uchiike isn't anything special - mid-130s fastball with a slider and curve. His numbers this fall have been solid outside of their game against Urawa Gakuin, but given his repertoire it's not surprising he's not blowing away the competition - but the general lack of free passes is a plus.
Aoki Kaito would be a player Deanna would like. He's a knuckle-scraper, and while that can fool batters, and we've seen them be successful in the majors in a closer role (Darren O'Day and Pat Neshek for instance), I don't know if it can work in long stretches - hence his longest outing was 4 innings in their loss against Jyousou Gakuin.
Offensively, leadoff batter Oikawa Keita (追川 恵太) sets the tone for the team, finding ways to get on base or bring in a run. There's also Murota Yoshito(?) (宝田 善統) who at least finds a way to get a base hit, and at #5 in the order hopefully has people in front of him to drive in.
With the lack of information, it's hard to project where they will land. The pitching side isn't impressive, but if it's serviceable it could be good enough.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Previewing the projected field - Toukaidai Koufu (Yamanashi)
Toukaidai Koufu has been on a run of late, representing Yamanashi 3 of the last 4 years. This after being off the map for a decade. And when they make an appearance, you're almost certain to see them make some type of run - of their 17 total (spring + summer) appearances, only 5 times have they exited in their first game, and 3 times they've won 1 game before bowing out. In fact, they've reached the semifinals 5 times!
So, what team do we have here?
Resume-wise it's hard to say. Their quality wins were against Nihon Koukuu in the prefectural final, and then faced Tier 3 schools Kasukabe Kyouei and Kasumigaura before getting shutout by Kisaradzu Sougou.
Matsuba Yukito (松葉 行人) and Kikuchi Hiroki (菊地 大輝) had come in relief last summer, most times to protect a lead, and once to keep the deficit small. He was able to do the former, but not the latter. Unfortunately for Kikuchi, the only videos I found of him were related to Kiyomiya (thank God Waseda Jitsugyou is not in the tournament).
I can't tell if they've switched roles, because Matsuba pitched more of the Super-regionals than Kikuchi. Kikuchi started the first game against Kasukabe Kyouei, but was pulled after giving up 4 runs in the 6th inning. Not that it may matter unless either has improved significantly. Both kept K/BB ratios close to 1 (though Matsuba had his best performance against Soujitsu of all schools). And from my commentary in the summer, neither appeared to be really impressive.
Two mainstays of the offense are back - now 1B Matsuoka Shuunyuu (松岡 隼裕), and now SS Fukutake Shuu (福武 修). Also joining him is RF Harada Ryuusei (原田 隆聖) who slotting behind Matsuoka at least gives him some protection (though most teams don't pitch around batters - it has been happening in an unintentional intentional sense more often).
The bottom of the lineup - where usually offense goes to die - appears to be in place here too. Yes, they did have some success, but when paired against the eventual champions, they went a combined 1-16.
It's an average squad overall in the end, and while it's possible they can win a game offensive black holes are generally hard to overcome.
So, what team do we have here?
Resume-wise it's hard to say. Their quality wins were against Nihon Koukuu in the prefectural final, and then faced Tier 3 schools Kasukabe Kyouei and Kasumigaura before getting shutout by Kisaradzu Sougou.
Matsuba Yukito (松葉 行人) and Kikuchi Hiroki (菊地 大輝) had come in relief last summer, most times to protect a lead, and once to keep the deficit small. He was able to do the former, but not the latter. Unfortunately for Kikuchi, the only videos I found of him were related to Kiyomiya (thank God Waseda Jitsugyou is not in the tournament).
I can't tell if they've switched roles, because Matsuba pitched more of the Super-regionals than Kikuchi. Kikuchi started the first game against Kasukabe Kyouei, but was pulled after giving up 4 runs in the 6th inning. Not that it may matter unless either has improved significantly. Both kept K/BB ratios close to 1 (though Matsuba had his best performance against Soujitsu of all schools). And from my commentary in the summer, neither appeared to be really impressive.
Two mainstays of the offense are back - now 1B Matsuoka Shuunyuu (松岡 隼裕), and now SS Fukutake Shuu (福武 修). Also joining him is RF Harada Ryuusei (原田 隆聖) who slotting behind Matsuoka at least gives him some protection (though most teams don't pitch around batters - it has been happening in an unintentional intentional sense more often).
The bottom of the lineup - where usually offense goes to die - appears to be in place here too. Yes, they did have some success, but when paired against the eventual champions, they went a combined 1-16.
It's an average squad overall in the end, and while it's possible they can win a game offensive black holes are generally hard to overcome.
Previewing the projected field - Jyousou Gakuin (Ibaraki)
Jyousou Gakuin finished as the runner-up in the super-regionals and will certainly be getting an invite. Their resume is a hodgepodge though. Nothing of note in the prefecturals outside of losing to Kasumigaura in the finals. But then they beat Yokohama, Nihon Koukuu and Kiryuu Dai-ichi before losing in that wild game versus Kisaradzu Sougou. The offensive output though was very small - just enough in most cases to win, so it may signal that more emphasis will be placed on their pitching staff.
The ace is Suzuki Shouta (鈴木 昭汰), who was the ace of the team last spring at senbatsu. His range is in the upper 130s touching 140, and may have a wide variety of pitches which might include a two-seamer, cutter, shuuto, curve, changeup and slider. But from the videos that you see - especially last year's senbatsu - the off-speed pitches are never really in the zone and that can be shown in the walks he offered to Yokohama and Nihon Koukuu. Any decent sense of patience at the plate and I think he's sunk.
The other option is Kashimura Yuuta (樫村 雄大), a freshman righty. Thankfully, the videos show his pitch speed on the scoreboard, and it seems to be in the low 130s for the fastball with an offspeed pitch in the upper 110s. In his game against Kiryuu Dai-ichi, he struck out 8 while walking 4. It was a complete game shutout, but the 4 walks are a bit iffy.
Offensively, the best player by far is freshman 1B Miyazato Bunta(?) (宮里 豊汰), who hits and hits for power. He was 7-13 with 6 RBIs during the Kanto super-regionals. Judging from the final game verus Kisaradzu Sougou, where in an extra inning affair he was 1-2 with 4 RBIs, my guess is they finally had enough and walked him a bit. Then there's another freshman, CF Suyama Yuuki (陶山 勇軌 - the video was from his days prior to Jyousou). He's not the hit machine Miyazato is, but he does seem to be able to get the timely hit.
2 players though doesn't a lineup make, and if teams do decide to work around Miyazato, it'll be a bit harder for the team to produce runs.
The pitching is sketchy enough to dismiss their chances for the title, though if they play an undisciplined team they may get a game or two.
The ace is Suzuki Shouta (鈴木 昭汰), who was the ace of the team last spring at senbatsu. His range is in the upper 130s touching 140, and may have a wide variety of pitches which might include a two-seamer, cutter, shuuto, curve, changeup and slider. But from the videos that you see - especially last year's senbatsu - the off-speed pitches are never really in the zone and that can be shown in the walks he offered to Yokohama and Nihon Koukuu. Any decent sense of patience at the plate and I think he's sunk.
The other option is Kashimura Yuuta (樫村 雄大), a freshman righty. Thankfully, the videos show his pitch speed on the scoreboard, and it seems to be in the low 130s for the fastball with an offspeed pitch in the upper 110s. In his game against Kiryuu Dai-ichi, he struck out 8 while walking 4. It was a complete game shutout, but the 4 walks are a bit iffy.
Offensively, the best player by far is freshman 1B Miyazato Bunta(?) (宮里 豊汰), who hits and hits for power. He was 7-13 with 6 RBIs during the Kanto super-regionals. Judging from the final game verus Kisaradzu Sougou, where in an extra inning affair he was 1-2 with 4 RBIs, my guess is they finally had enough and walked him a bit. Then there's another freshman, CF Suyama Yuuki (陶山 勇軌 - the video was from his days prior to Jyousou). He's not the hit machine Miyazato is, but he does seem to be able to get the timely hit.
2 players though doesn't a lineup make, and if teams do decide to work around Miyazato, it'll be a bit harder for the team to produce runs.
The pitching is sketchy enough to dismiss their chances for the title, though if they play an undisciplined team they may get a game or two.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Previewing the projected field - Kisaradzu Sougou (Chiba)
Kisaradzu Sougou makes only their 3rd Senbatsu appearance having won the Kanto (ex Tokyo) title. Which is a bit odd because I keep thinking they're a better team than that.
They ran laps around Chiba at least with the exceptions of Tousou Kougyou (?!), and Senshuudai Matsudo. As for the super-regionals though, they had to survive 4 close games, having to come back in 3 of them to claim the title - including a wild final against Jyousou Gakuin.
The ace of the staff is Hayakawa Takahisa (早川 隆久), a lefty that throws in the mid-upper 130s with the standard slider/curve combo. He pitched the first 2 games of the super-regionals before handing the ball off to what seems like a large bullpen (which is odd other than the fact that perhaps they figure they'd already qualified finishing in the top 4. Against Toukou Gakuen he looked like a pitcher managing the game, striking out 5 and giving up 9 hits. Then he turned around and gave up just 3 hits (though 4 walks), striking out 8 against Hanasaki Tokuharu.
Takeda Hiroyoshi (武田 大慶) was the next in line, sent to face Toukaidai Koufu and did his work, pitching a complete game shutout. He struck out 6, but did give up 4 walks in the 2-0 win. He seems to work vertically in the zone leaving high pitches in the middle. Not a great thing, but he doesn't seem to leave many mistakes in the zone that can be severely punished. He also doesn't seem to throw that hard, so control will even be more of an issue.
Finally, the ball was handed off to a triumvirate of pitchers - all righties. Oonuma Hiromu (大熊 啓夢 sorry, that was the best video I could find, there are better stills here) was first, and he supposedly throws 130s. Next up was Wada Soutarou (和田 崇太郎), whose name search turns up someone with the same name in some group called KING&HEAVY. Finally was Mitsuishi Kazuki (三石 和季 - whose only video was when he was in junior high).
The other thing is that those three combined gave up 13 hits in the 13 inning affair, with just 4 Ks and 10 free passes. Mitsuishi was probably the best of the 3, saving the game in the 9th by keeping the deficit at 2, then pitching shutout ball in extra frames. Each of them did well when they came in, but Oonuma and Wada both ended up struggling to the point they had to be relieved.
Offensively, it seems their best hitter is RF Torikai Ranma (鳥海 嵐万) and CF Kido Ryou (木戸 涼). Neither are anything special to write home about, but both at least put up decent numbers.
There's nothing about this team that stands out. They appear to be a solid team who can hang in there, but I'm not sure they're a title contender.
They ran laps around Chiba at least with the exceptions of Tousou Kougyou (?!), and Senshuudai Matsudo. As for the super-regionals though, they had to survive 4 close games, having to come back in 3 of them to claim the title - including a wild final against Jyousou Gakuin.
The ace of the staff is Hayakawa Takahisa (早川 隆久), a lefty that throws in the mid-upper 130s with the standard slider/curve combo. He pitched the first 2 games of the super-regionals before handing the ball off to what seems like a large bullpen (which is odd other than the fact that perhaps they figure they'd already qualified finishing in the top 4. Against Toukou Gakuen he looked like a pitcher managing the game, striking out 5 and giving up 9 hits. Then he turned around and gave up just 3 hits (though 4 walks), striking out 8 against Hanasaki Tokuharu.
Takeda Hiroyoshi (武田 大慶) was the next in line, sent to face Toukaidai Koufu and did his work, pitching a complete game shutout. He struck out 6, but did give up 4 walks in the 2-0 win. He seems to work vertically in the zone leaving high pitches in the middle. Not a great thing, but he doesn't seem to leave many mistakes in the zone that can be severely punished. He also doesn't seem to throw that hard, so control will even be more of an issue.
Finally, the ball was handed off to a triumvirate of pitchers - all righties. Oonuma Hiromu (大熊 啓夢 sorry, that was the best video I could find, there are better stills here) was first, and he supposedly throws 130s. Next up was Wada Soutarou (和田 崇太郎), whose name search turns up someone with the same name in some group called KING&HEAVY. Finally was Mitsuishi Kazuki (三石 和季 - whose only video was when he was in junior high).
The other thing is that those three combined gave up 13 hits in the 13 inning affair, with just 4 Ks and 10 free passes. Mitsuishi was probably the best of the 3, saving the game in the 9th by keeping the deficit at 2, then pitching shutout ball in extra frames. Each of them did well when they came in, but Oonuma and Wada both ended up struggling to the point they had to be relieved.
Offensively, it seems their best hitter is RF Torikai Ranma (鳥海 嵐万) and CF Kido Ryou (木戸 涼). Neither are anything special to write home about, but both at least put up decent numbers.
There's nothing about this team that stands out. They appear to be a solid team who can hang in there, but I'm not sure they're a title contender.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Previewing the projected field - [Hachinohe Gakuin] Kousei (Aomori)
Might as well start calling them by their new name. If you haven't noticed Kousei Gakuin (光星学院) changed their name to Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei (八戸学院光星) or in shorthand Kousei (光星).
No matter what you call it, their rise to prominence has been sudden. There were signs when they went to Natsu Kousien 3 of 4 years in 2000-2003 reaching the quarterfinals twice and the semifinals the other time. But in 2011 they stamped their mark in history (albeit infamously), by reaching 3 straight calendar Koushien finals losing all of them.
The school went through the name change right afterwards and while they haven't had the same success (it's hard not to unless they actually won the whole thing), but after a full year off went to Koushien both times in 2014, and senbatsu in 2015.
And here they are again. They've done it defeating every team they should have soundly, and winning the close games against the upper tier teams (except for the Aomori Yamada rematch in the finals). They did it leaning on ace Sakurai Kazuki (桜井 一樹). I don't have much information on him other than possibly having a slider, curve and changeup. That, and the fact that he doesn't strikeout many batters can be a concern if he doesn't have pinpoint control.
Offensively, it's hard to identify a person who stands out. Perhaps the top of the order which naturally should have your better hitters. But then you turn to their loss against Aomori Yamada, and they could muster just 3 hits. If the pitching is very contact-dependent, the offense will need to come though in case Sakurai doesn't have his best.
No matter what you call it, their rise to prominence has been sudden. There were signs when they went to Natsu Kousien 3 of 4 years in 2000-2003 reaching the quarterfinals twice and the semifinals the other time. But in 2011 they stamped their mark in history (albeit infamously), by reaching 3 straight calendar Koushien finals losing all of them.
The school went through the name change right afterwards and while they haven't had the same success (it's hard not to unless they actually won the whole thing), but after a full year off went to Koushien both times in 2014, and senbatsu in 2015.
And here they are again. They've done it defeating every team they should have soundly, and winning the close games against the upper tier teams (except for the Aomori Yamada rematch in the finals). They did it leaning on ace Sakurai Kazuki (桜井 一樹). I don't have much information on him other than possibly having a slider, curve and changeup. That, and the fact that he doesn't strikeout many batters can be a concern if he doesn't have pinpoint control.
Offensively, it's hard to identify a person who stands out. Perhaps the top of the order which naturally should have your better hitters. But then you turn to their loss against Aomori Yamada, and they could muster just 3 hits. If the pitching is very contact-dependent, the offense will need to come though in case Sakurai doesn't have his best.
Previewing the projected field - Aomori Yamada (Aomori)
Aomori Yamada is finally back. I can't even remember how many years it's been (just checked it was 7 years ago - 2009 summer) that they were last at Koushien.
Man, that's a long time for a team I thought was a prefectural powerhouse. I don't know the story, if it was staffing changes, if they weren't really a powerhouse - instead me catching them in a sweet spot when I first starting getting serious about following 高校野球.
They've been close in recent years, but this time they were able to put it all together, revenging a loss to Kousei in the prefecturals in the Super-Regional final. It wasn't dominant though, as they had close games throughout the Super-Regionals - Tsuruoka Higashi, Akita and Sendai Ikuei before finally hitting their stride in the final 2 games.
The ace of the team is Hayato Horioka (堀岡 隼人), but only pitched in the first game in relief, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits (and 6 walks!) striking out just 3. None of the other pitchers - Tsuboi Tomoya (坪井 友哉), Urushidate Io (漆舘 伊皇) or Mikami Seshiru (三上 世視滝) fared much better with Mikami being the only pitcher to record a K. Ouch.
At this point then you'd have to turn to the offense to carry the team. And they did have success against Tsuruga Kehi (though Hiranuma is gone now), but predominantly in the middle of the lineup - C Murayama Naoya (村山 直也), SS Mimori Masaki (三森 大貴) and 1B Saitou Koumei (齊藤 孔明). Saitou was actually walked twice in their loss to Tsuruga Kehi - showing perhaps the lack of depth in the lineup. If they can be worked around like that, it will be that much harder for the team to make a deep run especially given the lack of good pitching.
Man, that's a long time for a team I thought was a prefectural powerhouse. I don't know the story, if it was staffing changes, if they weren't really a powerhouse - instead me catching them in a sweet spot when I first starting getting serious about following 高校野球.
They've been close in recent years, but this time they were able to put it all together, revenging a loss to Kousei in the prefecturals in the Super-Regional final. It wasn't dominant though, as they had close games throughout the Super-Regionals - Tsuruoka Higashi, Akita and Sendai Ikuei before finally hitting their stride in the final 2 games.
The ace of the team is Hayato Horioka (堀岡 隼人), but only pitched in the first game in relief, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits (and 6 walks!) striking out just 3. None of the other pitchers - Tsuboi Tomoya (坪井 友哉), Urushidate Io (漆舘 伊皇) or Mikami Seshiru (三上 世視滝) fared much better with Mikami being the only pitcher to record a K. Ouch.
At this point then you'd have to turn to the offense to carry the team. And they did have success against Tsuruga Kehi (though Hiranuma is gone now), but predominantly in the middle of the lineup - C Murayama Naoya (村山 直也), SS Mimori Masaki (三森 大貴) and 1B Saitou Koumei (齊藤 孔明). Saitou was actually walked twice in their loss to Tsuruga Kehi - showing perhaps the lack of depth in the lineup. If they can be worked around like that, it will be that much harder for the team to make a deep run especially given the lack of good pitching.
Previewing the projected field - Sapporo Dai-ichi (Hokkaido)
In the leadup to next year's senbatsu (and because I have a lot of dead time at work), I'll be getting posts out on the teams in the projected field. First up is the Hokkaido champions Sapporo Dai-ichi.
Sapporo Dai-ichi pretty much handled all the teams they needed to without much issue until they hit the meat of the schedule - which started in the quarterfinals against Hokushou and followed that up with Komodai Tomakomai and Hokkaido Sakae.
For a champion team though, there's little information on them. Ace Kamide Takuma (上出 拓真) throws in the low 130s with a changeup of sorts that he tends to leave up. Here is the game versus Takamatsu Shougyou in the Meiji Jingu Taikai (Skip to 1:03.30 as that is when he comes in relief.). Against lefties, he seems to let the ball fly out early, leaving pitches up and away and not close. Even in general he leaves the fastball up in the zone and is prone to fly balls.
Offensively, their best hitter was their #9 hitter, RF Kanemura Kyousuke (兼村 京佑). He was 4-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs versus Kanto Dai-ichi, and then was 3-4 with a double and 2 RBIs against Takamatsu Shougyou.
With such little information, and from what I could see and read, it doesn't look like Sapporo Dai-ichi is a legitimate title contender. Depending on the rest of the field and their draw, it's possible they could be one-and-done.
Sapporo Dai-ichi pretty much handled all the teams they needed to without much issue until they hit the meat of the schedule - which started in the quarterfinals against Hokushou and followed that up with Komodai Tomakomai and Hokkaido Sakae.
For a champion team though, there's little information on them. Ace Kamide Takuma (上出 拓真) throws in the low 130s with a changeup of sorts that he tends to leave up. Here is the game versus Takamatsu Shougyou in the Meiji Jingu Taikai (Skip to 1:03.30 as that is when he comes in relief.). Against lefties, he seems to let the ball fly out early, leaving pitches up and away and not close. Even in general he leaves the fastball up in the zone and is prone to fly balls.
Offensively, their best hitter was their #9 hitter, RF Kanemura Kyousuke (兼村 京佑). He was 4-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs versus Kanto Dai-ichi, and then was 3-4 with a double and 2 RBIs against Takamatsu Shougyou.
With such little information, and from what I could see and read, it doesn't look like Sapporo Dai-ichi is a legitimate title contender. Depending on the rest of the field and their draw, it's possible they could be one-and-done.
Meiji Jingu Bid
The final bit of projections finished last month when Takamatsu Shougyou of all teams won the Meiji Jingu Taikai defeating Sapporo Dai-ichi, Osaka Touin and Tsuruga Kehi.
If you took that at face value, you'd think that Takamatsu Shougyou would be considered a senbatsu title contender. Remember though that the winner of the tournament gives their region an extra bid. If you were Osaka Touin (Kinki Super-Region) or Tsuruga Kehi (Hokushinetsu Super-Region), would you win and give a team a chance at the title?
Let me put it another way. Let's say you're Kasumagaura and you won the Kanto Super-Regionals. Yokohama lost in the quarterfinals and thus is outside the top 4 (in order) and would probably be left out as long as the semifinalists didn't have a terrible resume (let's say they don't). Let's also say that in Tokyo (where the floating bid lies), the winner and runner-ups are Nichidai-san and Waseda Jitsugyou, which means that in all likelihood the bid would go there.
Would you win the Meiji Jingu tournament if it meant that Yokohama would get an invite? If I were in that situation, I wouldn't win. If you were Osaka Touin this year, would you win and let either Houtoku Gakuen or Chiben Gakuen into the tournament?
So Takamatsu Shougyou it is.
Hokkaido (1) - Sapporo Dai-ichi
Tohoku (2) - Aomori Yamada (Aomori), Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei (Aomori)
Kanto (4) - Kisaradzu Sougou (Chiba), Jyousou Gakuin (Ibaraki), Toukaidai Koufu (Yamanashi), Kiryuu Dai-ichi (Gunma)
Tokyo (1) - Kanto Dai-ichi
Hokushinetsu (2) - Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui), Fukui Koudai Fukui (Fukui)/Saku Chousei (Nagano)
Tokai (2) - Touhou (Aichi), Inabe Sougou Gakuen (Mie)
Kinki (6) - Osaka Touin (Osaka), Shiga Gakuen (Shiga), Akashi Shougyou (Hyogo), Ryuukokudai Heian (Kyoto), Houtoku Gakuen (Hyogo), Chiben Gakuen (Nara)
Chuugoku (2) - Soushi Gakuen (Okayama), Nanyou Kougyou (Yamaguchi)
Shikoku (2) - Takamatsu Shougyou (Kagawa), Meitoku Gijyuku (Kochi)
Kyushu (4) - Shuugakukan (Kumamoto), Kaisei (Nagasaki), Kagoshima Jitsugyou (Kagoshima), Nichinan Gakuen (Miyazaki)
Chuugoku/Shikoku Floating Bid + Meiji Jingu Bid
Saibi (Ehime), Jyosuikan (Hiroshima), Kaisei (Shimane)
With Takamatsu Shougyou's win, Saibi who I mentioned earlier had the best Shikoku resume for the floating bid will now get the Meiji Jingu Bid instead. With that, the floating bid is almost certainly heading north to the Chuugoku region.
So now we need to take a closer look at Jyosuikan or Kaisei. I'd first look at Kaisei since they played the champs Soushi Gakuen. But they were shutout 5-0 and their only quality win was a 7-0 mercy rule win over Hiroshima Shinjyou. Jyosuikan lost 6-3 to Nanyou Kougyou, who was annihilated by Soushi Gakuen in the final. And they don't have a quality win to their name. None.
Ouch. The resume's are not good at all. If I had to take someone, it would be Kaisei because their shutout loss was no different than any of the other teams to play Soushi Gakuen.
The only other option, and it's a huge longshot, would be that the floating bid actually stays in Shikoku and is given to Tosa, whose 2 losses in the Aki Taikai were to the same team - Meitoku Gijyuku. That's not disgraceful at all, but to intentionally give a 4-2 split when there was an option for a 3-3? Highly unlikely.
Tokyo/Kanto Floating Bid
Nihon Koukuu (Yamanashi), Hanasaki Tokuharu (Saitama), Nishogakushadai Fuzoku (Tokyo)
So here's the problem with that rivalry between Kanto Dai-ichi and Nishogakushadai Fuzoku. Despite the fact the the committee wants the big teams in the tournament, it can't simply continue to hand out floating bids that way. And so while Nishogakushadai Fuzoku may be worthy, it might be that the Tokyo final was a loser-out scenario now that Kanto Dai-ichi didn't win the Meiji Jingu Tournament. (In fact, they lost in their very first game. Still don't believe me about letting a good team in?)
Remember though that the 2 potential Kanto candidates, Hanasaki Tokuharu and Nihon Koukuu played their quarterfinal games close, but didn't have a great resume otherwise. Nishogakushadai Fuzoku defeated both Waseda Jitsugyou and Nichidai-san...
Sentimental wise, I'd love to see Nihon Koukuu get it. I mean, get the Japan Aviation Academy baseball team at Koushien?
If we went strictly by resume and separate from other years, Nishogakushadai Fuzoku gets the bid hands down. But it's not done in a bubble - at least from what I can tell, so I doubt they're getting in again. Name recognition, Hanasaki Tokuharu gets the bid. I secretly hope though Nihon Koukuu somehow winds up with it.
Tohoku (2) - Aomori Yamada (Aomori), Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei (Aomori)
Kanto (4) - Kisaradzu Sougou (Chiba), Jyousou Gakuin (Ibaraki), Toukaidai Koufu (Yamanashi), Kiryuu Dai-ichi (Gunma)
Tokyo (1) - Kanto Dai-ichi
Hokushinetsu (2) - Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui), Fukui Koudai Fukui (Fukui)/Saku Chousei (Nagano)
Tokai (2) - Touhou (Aichi), Inabe Sougou Gakuen (Mie)
Kinki (6) - Osaka Touin (Osaka), Shiga Gakuen (Shiga), Akashi Shougyou (Hyogo), Ryuukokudai Heian (Kyoto), Houtoku Gakuen (Hyogo), Chiben Gakuen (Nara)
Chuugoku (2) - Soushi Gakuen (Okayama), Nanyou Kougyou (Yamaguchi)
Shikoku (2) - Takamatsu Shougyou (Kagawa), Meitoku Gijyuku (Kochi)
Kyushu (4) - Shuugakukan (Kumamoto), Kaisei (Nagasaki), Kagoshima Jitsugyou (Kagoshima), Nichinan Gakuen (Miyazaki)
Chuugoku/Shikoku Floating Bid + Meiji Jingu Bid
Saibi (Ehime), Jyosuikan (Hiroshima), Kaisei (Shimane)
With Takamatsu Shougyou's win, Saibi who I mentioned earlier had the best Shikoku resume for the floating bid will now get the Meiji Jingu Bid instead. With that, the floating bid is almost certainly heading north to the Chuugoku region.
So now we need to take a closer look at Jyosuikan or Kaisei. I'd first look at Kaisei since they played the champs Soushi Gakuen. But they were shutout 5-0 and their only quality win was a 7-0 mercy rule win over Hiroshima Shinjyou. Jyosuikan lost 6-3 to Nanyou Kougyou, who was annihilated by Soushi Gakuen in the final. And they don't have a quality win to their name. None.
Ouch. The resume's are not good at all. If I had to take someone, it would be Kaisei because their shutout loss was no different than any of the other teams to play Soushi Gakuen.
The only other option, and it's a huge longshot, would be that the floating bid actually stays in Shikoku and is given to Tosa, whose 2 losses in the Aki Taikai were to the same team - Meitoku Gijyuku. That's not disgraceful at all, but to intentionally give a 4-2 split when there was an option for a 3-3? Highly unlikely.
Tokyo/Kanto Floating Bid
Nihon Koukuu (Yamanashi), Hanasaki Tokuharu (Saitama), Nishogakushadai Fuzoku (Tokyo)
So here's the problem with that rivalry between Kanto Dai-ichi and Nishogakushadai Fuzoku. Despite the fact the the committee wants the big teams in the tournament, it can't simply continue to hand out floating bids that way. And so while Nishogakushadai Fuzoku may be worthy, it might be that the Tokyo final was a loser-out scenario now that Kanto Dai-ichi didn't win the Meiji Jingu Tournament. (In fact, they lost in their very first game. Still don't believe me about letting a good team in?)
Remember though that the 2 potential Kanto candidates, Hanasaki Tokuharu and Nihon Koukuu played their quarterfinal games close, but didn't have a great resume otherwise. Nishogakushadai Fuzoku defeated both Waseda Jitsugyou and Nichidai-san...
Sentimental wise, I'd love to see Nihon Koukuu get it. I mean, get the Japan Aviation Academy baseball team at Koushien?
If we went strictly by resume and separate from other years, Nishogakushadai Fuzoku gets the bid hands down. But it's not done in a bubble - at least from what I can tell, so I doubt they're getting in again. Name recognition, Hanasaki Tokuharu gets the bid. I secretly hope though Nihon Koukuu somehow winds up with it.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
And we're done!
So the aki taikai super-regionals are done. Kanto Dai-ichi comes back with a pair of runs in the 8th and 9th to defeat Nishogakushadai Fuzoku 4-3. This means the invitee list is as follows:
Hokkaido (1) - Sapporo Dai-ichi
Tohoku (2) - Aomori Yamada (Aomori), Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei (Aomori)
Kanto (4) - Kisaradzu Sougou (Chiba), Jyousou Gakuin (Ibaraki), Toukaidai Koufu (Yamanashi), Kiryuu Dai-ichi (Gunma)
Tokyo (1) - Kanto Dai-ichi
Hokushinetsu (2) - Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui), Fukui Koudai Fukui (Fukui)
Tokai (2) - Touhou (Aichi), Inabe Sougou Gakuen (Mie)
Kinki (6) - Osaka Touin (Osaka), Shiga Gakuen (Shiga), Akashi Shougyou (Hyogo), Ryuukokudai Heian (Kyoto), Houtoku Gakuen (Hyogo), Chiben Gakuen (Nara)
Chuugoku (2) - Soushi Gakuen (Okayama), Nanyou Kougyou (Yamaguchi)
Shikoku (2) - Takamatsu Shougyou (Kagawa), Meitoku Gijyuku (Kochi)
Kyushu (4) - Shuugakukan (Kumamoto), Kaisei (Nagasaki), Kagoshima Jitsugyou (Kagoshima), Nichinan Gakuen (Miyazaki)
And now for the floating bids:
Tokyo/Kanto Floating Bid
Nihon Koukuu (Yamanashi), Hanasaki Tokuharu (Saitama), Nishogakushadai Fuzoku (Tokyo)
So here's the problem with that rivalry between Kanto Dai-ichi and Nishogakushadai Fuzoku. Despite the fact the the committee wants the big teams in the tournament, it can't simply continue to hand out floating bids that way. And so while Nishogakushadai Fuzoku may be worthy, it might be that the Tokyo final was a loser-out scenario.
So let's look at the potential Kanto candidates. If we go by resume, Hanasaki Tokuharu's only win in the super-regionals was Kitoku, while in the prefecturals they were able to defeat Kasukabe Kyouei, but not Urawa Gakuin. Nihon Koukuu needed 15 to defeat Hakuoudai Ashikaga in the super-regionals which can be a quality win, but in the prefecturals they don't have one, losing to Toukaidai Koufu in the finals.
Neither resume is that great. And to boot Nishogakushadai Fuzoku defeated both Waseda Jitsugyou and Nichidai-san...
If we go by resume, Nishogakushadai Fuzoku should earn the bid (again). If the JHBF is loath to award it again to them, then you can flip a coin for either candidate.
Chuugoku/Shikoku Floating Bid
Saibi (Ehime), Jyosuikan (Hiroshima), Kaisei (Shimane)
This one feels self-explanatory. The best candidate out of the Shikoku region is Saibi, who played eventual champions Takamatsu Shougyou close in the semifinals, shutout Naruto, and mercy-ruled Kochi Shougyou. Their loss to Imabari Nishi in the prefecturals was validated when Imabari Nishi lost in 10 innings also to Takamatsu Shougyou.
None of the possible Chuugoku candidates Jyosuikan or Kaisei have a similar resume, so Saibi should get the bid.
Hokkaido (1) - Sapporo Dai-ichi
Tohoku (2) - Aomori Yamada (Aomori), Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei (Aomori)
Kanto (4) - Kisaradzu Sougou (Chiba), Jyousou Gakuin (Ibaraki), Toukaidai Koufu (Yamanashi), Kiryuu Dai-ichi (Gunma)
Tokyo (1) - Kanto Dai-ichi
Hokushinetsu (2) - Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui), Fukui Koudai Fukui (Fukui)
Tokai (2) - Touhou (Aichi), Inabe Sougou Gakuen (Mie)
Kinki (6) - Osaka Touin (Osaka), Shiga Gakuen (Shiga), Akashi Shougyou (Hyogo), Ryuukokudai Heian (Kyoto), Houtoku Gakuen (Hyogo), Chiben Gakuen (Nara)
Chuugoku (2) - Soushi Gakuen (Okayama), Nanyou Kougyou (Yamaguchi)
Shikoku (2) - Takamatsu Shougyou (Kagawa), Meitoku Gijyuku (Kochi)
Kyushu (4) - Shuugakukan (Kumamoto), Kaisei (Nagasaki), Kagoshima Jitsugyou (Kagoshima), Nichinan Gakuen (Miyazaki)
And now for the floating bids:
Tokyo/Kanto Floating Bid
Nihon Koukuu (Yamanashi), Hanasaki Tokuharu (Saitama), Nishogakushadai Fuzoku (Tokyo)
So here's the problem with that rivalry between Kanto Dai-ichi and Nishogakushadai Fuzoku. Despite the fact the the committee wants the big teams in the tournament, it can't simply continue to hand out floating bids that way. And so while Nishogakushadai Fuzoku may be worthy, it might be that the Tokyo final was a loser-out scenario.
So let's look at the potential Kanto candidates. If we go by resume, Hanasaki Tokuharu's only win in the super-regionals was Kitoku, while in the prefecturals they were able to defeat Kasukabe Kyouei, but not Urawa Gakuin. Nihon Koukuu needed 15 to defeat Hakuoudai Ashikaga in the super-regionals which can be a quality win, but in the prefecturals they don't have one, losing to Toukaidai Koufu in the finals.
Neither resume is that great. And to boot Nishogakushadai Fuzoku defeated both Waseda Jitsugyou and Nichidai-san...
If we go by resume, Nishogakushadai Fuzoku should earn the bid (again). If the JHBF is loath to award it again to them, then you can flip a coin for either candidate.
Chuugoku/Shikoku Floating Bid
Saibi (Ehime), Jyosuikan (Hiroshima), Kaisei (Shimane)
This one feels self-explanatory. The best candidate out of the Shikoku region is Saibi, who played eventual champions Takamatsu Shougyou close in the semifinals, shutout Naruto, and mercy-ruled Kochi Shougyou. Their loss to Imabari Nishi in the prefecturals was validated when Imabari Nishi lost in 10 innings also to Takamatsu Shougyou.
None of the possible Chuugoku candidates Jyosuikan or Kaisei have a similar resume, so Saibi should get the bid.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Aki Taikai Update
The site has been relatively quiet since the end of the Natsu Koushien tournament, and a good part of it is that in general nothing for the most part changes. To prove my point, here's what's happened in the Aki Taikai:
Hokkaido (Completed)
I look at the final, and it looks like Hokkaido Sakae had made the final, and actually had the lead. But Sapporo Dai-ichi rallied against ace Kanazawa to take the title 2-1. It's actually their first title, which is a bit surprising.
However, to their credit they defeated Hokushou 6-4, then Komadai Tomakomai 1-0 to reach the final. So this title was well-earned.
Tohoku (Completed)
Well, this is a surprise. First, here's who qualified.
Aomori - Hachinohe Kousei Gakuiin, Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi, Aomori Yamada
Akita - Akita, Noshiro, Noshiro Shouyou
Iwate - Moriokadai Fuzoku, Kamaishi, Ichinoseki Gakuin
Yamagata - Sakata Minami, Yamagata Chuo, Tsuruoka Higashi
Miyagi - Sendai, Tohoku, Touhou
Fukushima - Seikou Gakuin, Gakkou Houjin Ishikawa, Fukushima Shougyou
Aomori, scratch...
Akita, same there...
Iwate, whoa. No Hanamaki Higashi, but then again they generally have to reload after a run. And good for Kamaishi.
Yamagata, scratch...
Miyagi, Tohoku might finally be becoming relevant again.
Fukushima, it's Seikou Gakuin and everyone else.
As for the Super-Regionals, it was a shocker. Kousei gets to the final giving up just 1 run in 3 games. On the other half of the bracket it was of all teams Aomori Yamada who defeated Tsuruoka Higashi, Akita, Sendai Ikuei and Moriokadai Fuzoku to reach the final setting up a rematch of the Aomori semifinal.
And since both schools are bound to get the phone call, you would think that perhaps they'd tone it down for the final.
Nope. Both schools sent out their ace, and Aomori Yamada's Horioka outpitches Kousei's Sakurai in a 5-0 win! Maybe finally Aomori Yamada is back.
Kanto (Completed)
Kanto is generally the last to finish. But the prefecturals are done and here are the qualifiers:
Saitama (Super-Regional Hosts) - Urawa Gakuin, Hanasaki Tokuharu, Kasukabe Kyouei
Gunma - Kitoku, Kiryuu Dai-ichi
Ibaraki - Kasumigaura, Jyousou Gakuin
Tochigi - Hakuoudai Ashikaga, Bunsei Geidai Fuzoku
Chiba - Kisaradzu Sougou, Chiba Meitoku
Kanagawa - Yokohama, Toukou Gakuen
Yamanashi - Toukaidai Koufu, Nihon Koukuu
Saitama, scratch (yay Kasukabe Kyouei!)...
Gunma, hey there's a surprise, Kitoku defeated both Kendai Takasaki and Kiryuu Dai-ichi to take the prefectural title...
Ibaraki, I'm glad to see that Kasumigaura has been able to continue its success...
Tochigi, Bunsei Geidai Fuzoku will to me ever be linked with their soul-crushing win over Kanzei back in the famous 2006 tournament...
Chiba, I love Narashino but I know that their pitching hadn't been very strong over the last couple of years... Chiba Meitoku making the Super-Regionals is a cool thing though.
Kanagawa, Yokohama has not lost a step with Watanabe-kantoku's retirement defeating Touin Gakuen, mercy ruling Toukaidai Sagami and then Toukou Gakuen for the title...
Yamanashi, hooray! Nihon Koukuu makes it to the Super-Regional stage! Uh, oh, they were 2-hit shutout in the final...
The semifinals were 2 shutouts, Kisaradzu Sougou must be doing something right because after defeating Toukou Gakuen and Hanasaki Tokuharu 2-1 they shutout Toukaidai Koufu 2-0.
Jyousou Gakuin's defensive game seems to have won the day, defeating Yokohama, Nihon Koukuu (awww....) before shutting out Kiryuu Dai-ichi 4-0.
Weirdly, the final was anything but a defensive struggle. Perhaps it was the long slog through the tournament, but after the game was 1-1 through 5 the teams scored 13 more runs. including 2 runs each in the 9th to keep the game tied, and another run each in the 10th. Jyousou Gakuin would challenge again in the 13th with runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 out, but a strike throw home on a base hit, and a great tag by C Ozawa Shou would keep the game tied. And in the bottom half of the inning, Kisaradzu Sougou would take their one and only lead when ace Mitsuishi's grounder was booted at 2nd, allowing Koike - who had doubled earlier, to come home for the 8-7 win!
Tokyo (In progress)
Their prefecturals are their Super-Regionals so their tournament structure
How weird would it be if Kanto Dai-ichi and Nishogakushadai Fuzoku faced each other again?
Well... it could happen. Nishougakushadai Fuzoku plays Toukaidai Takanawadai in the first semifinal, while Kanto Dai-ichi faces Teikyou.
In a prefecture as big as Tokyo I cannot believe that these two schools could have their "rivalry" renewed yet again.
Hokushinetsu (Completed)
Well, the prefecturals lined up as follows:
Niigata - Nihon Bunri, Murakami Sakuragaoka, Tokyo Gakkan Niigata
Nagano - Nagano Shougyou, Saku Chousei, Matsushou Gakuen
Toyama - Takaoka Shougyou, Toyama Shougyou, Namerikawa, Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku
Ishikawa - Nonoichi Meirin, Komatsu, Komatsu Ootani
Fukui - Tsuruga Kehi, Fukui Koudai Fukui, Fukui Shougyou
Niigata, Nihon Bunri nothing new but the other two were surprises...
Nagano, looks like the capital city is finally putting out strong schools. Always thought it weird that the major city in a rural prefecture didn't have strong teams...
Toyama, top 2 nothing new but the last 2 good for them to make it in a year their prefecture hosts...
Ishikawa, what the heck?! Nonoichi Meirin defeated both Komatsu Ootani and Komatsu for the title? Seiryou nowhere to be seen as they are perhaps in rebuild mode.
Fukui, the scratchiest of the scratch.
All the surprises out of the prefecturals for the most part were easily eliminated in the first round of the Super-Regionals though Namerikawa had a lead against Nihon Bunri and Komatsu Ootani had rallied from down 4-0 to Takaoka Shougyou to take a 6-4 lead, only to give up 4 runs in an inning again to fall.
In the quarterfinals, Nihon Bunri may have been the victim of circumstance. Leading Saku Chousei 5-4 through 6 the game was declared a no-game due to rain and replayed the next day where they lost 2-1 in 11.
In the semis, Saku Chousei and Nagano Shougyou both put up fights in their games. Saku Chousei had the lead against Tsuruga Kehi, but the pitching couldn't close it out. Nagano Shougyou actually rallied from down 6-0 to tie the game but their pitching too let them down.
And so it was 2 Fukui schools in the finals, and a rematch of the prefectural final. Usually, the losing school in the first matchup would have a better go at it, but Tsuruga Kehi never let Fukui Koudai Fukui in the game, following up that 8-0 prefectural win with a 6-1 super-regional win.
Tokai (Completed)
In the small Tokai region, the qualifier for the Super-Regional were as follows:
Shizuoka - Kakegawa Nishi, Nichidai Mishima, Fujieda Meisei
Aichi - Touhou, Kyouei, Eitoku
Gifu - Oogaki Nichidai, Chuukyou, Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou
Mie - Kaisei, Mie, Inabe Sougou Gakuen
Gifu and Mie are very scratch, though one could argue that Kaisei defeating Mie is an upset. Kaisei though is a decently strong team in Mie so in terms of teams making it, this isn't a surprise. Shizuoka is a bit of a surprise to not see any of Shizuoka, Tokoha Kikugawa, Tokoha Tachibana among others. For Aichi, Touhou is an above average squad, Eitoku has been decent as well, and Kyouei is a surprise.
On one side, it was scratch. Mie defeated Eitoku and Kakegawa Nishi to reach the semis, where Touhou waited. Sadly for Mie, Touhou would prevail 3-1 to reach the final.
On the other side, Mie's schools seemed to show which prefecture had the best teams as a group. Inabe Sougou Gakuen defeated Nichidai Mishima, and then Oogaki Nichidai(!) to reach the semis. Kaisei with the first round bye, held on to defeat Kenrisu Gifu Shougyou 5-4(!) setting up a rematch of the semis of the prefectuals where Kaisei won 5-4 in extras. And in the rematch it would be ISG that would prevail with another close game, 2-1.
The final was nuts. ISG jumped out to a 6-0 lead right off the bat in the top of the 1st. Touhou immediately snagged 2 of the runs back in the bottom half and then in the 3rd got back the remaining runs. It looked like perhaps Touhou had the advantage taking the lead with 3 in the 6th, but ISG finally showed some life with 3 of their own in the lucky 7. This game would head to enchousen where 3B Konishi Keiji would deliver the game winning hit to give ISG the title 10-9!
Kinki (Completed)
Qualified teams from each prefecture were as follows:
Shiga - Kita-Ootsu, Oumi Kyoudaisha, Shiga Gakuen
Kyoto - Ryuukokudai Heian, Fukuchiyama Seibi
Nara - Chiben Gakuen, Naradai Fuzoku, Heijyou
Osaka - Osaka Shougyoudai Sakai, Osaka Touin, Hanandai
Wakayama - Shiritsu Wakayama, Kouyasan
Hyogo - Akashi Shougyou, Houtoku Gakuen, Shinkou Gakuen
Shiga, Kyoto - easily scratch.
Nara - Chiben Gakuen scratch. Naradai Fuzoku I think has cemented their place as a prefectural powerhouse even if they haven't been to Koushien as much as Chiben or Tenri. Heijyou would be a surprise, but then again any school would be that wasn't Tenri.
Osaka - Osaka Touin is scratch, even if 2nd in the prefecture. Osaka Shougyoudai Sakai isn't a powerhouse, but they produce results in a very big prefecture. Hanandai I've never heard of, so finishing 3rd is quite the accomplishment, even if their only quality game was a 1-0 win in the 3rd place game against Riseisha(!).
Wakayama - With perhaps the decline of Chiben Wakayama complete as Takashima-kantoku retired, Shiritsu Wakayama - who has been a good school in the prefecture, fills the gap. Kouyasan gets the benefit of filling the other spot.
Hyogo - This is actually scratch if you consider history. Akishi Shougyou and Shinkou Gakuen have historical success, even if not necessarily in recent times. Houtoku Gakuen has continued to be a strong school throughout the years.
As for the super-regionals, the end result was no surprise. Osaka Touin blew through their first 2 games, and then perhaps because they at this point qualified by reaching the semis ramped the team down... and still defeated Akaishi Shougyou to reach the finals where a surprise Shiga Gakuen team who defeated both Houtoku Gakuen, and Ryuukokudai Heian!
Shiga Gakuen fought hard in the final, but fell 3-2.
Chuugoku (Completed)
The region was almost fully scratch:
Tottori - Tottori Jyouhoku, Sakai, Tottori Nishi, Yonago Nishi
Okayama - Konkou Gakuen, Kurashiki Kougyou, Soushi Gakuen
Shimane - Taisha, Kaisei, Izumo
Hiroshima - Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin, Jyosuikan, Hiroshima Shinjyou
Yamaguchi - Hayatomo, Ube Shougyou, Nanyou Kougyou
The only team perhaps you could argue is a surprise is Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin, but even then they've been more than decent recently.
The sad part is that none of the prefectural champions made it out of the 2nd round and only Konkou Gakuen and Hayatomo made it out of the first round.
Nanyou Kougyou worked the hardest using their experience to survive 3 close games against Tottori Jyouhoku (Tottori 1), Hayatomo (Yamaguchi 1), and Jyosuikan (Hiroshima 2) to reach the final.
Meanwhile Soushi Gakuen, despite being the Okayama 3 seed was only troubled in their 1st game against Ube Shougyou before dispatching Konkou Gakuen and Izumo.
The final was a laugher, but in the favor of Soushi Gakuen! They beat Nanyou Kougyou 12-1 to take the title!!
Shikoku (Completed)
Shikoku was pretty scratch as well.
Kagawa - Shoudoshima, Takamatsu Shougyou, Eimei
Tokushima - Naruto, Jyounan, Ikeda
Kochi - Meitoku Gijyuku, Kochi Shougyou, Tosa
Ehime - Imabari Nishi, Niita, Saibi
Shoudoushima may not be a brand name, but they've been a good team in Kagawa for a while and I see them as a seeded team often. Same goes for Jyounan.
Like Chuugoku though, the top seeds did not fare well. Meitoku Gijyuku was the only prefectural winner to make it past their first round bye - and even then allowed Nitta to score 2 in the bottom of the 9th to make it a 5-4 game.
Desperate to leave no doubt about their invitation, as opposed to the last two years when they had to depend on the floating bid, they won their semifinal (in 10 innings) over Tosa 4-3.
Takamatsu Shougyou would be their opponent in the final, but their fans probably needed resuscitation. It was a close opening round against Ikeda until the 8th inning where they scored 2 to make it a "comfortable" 6-3. Then they blew a 5-2 lead to Imabari Nishi before scoring 4 in the 8th to win 9-7. And then against Saibi they trailed 3-0 right off the bat, scored 4 immediately thereafter to take the lead, and then nailbited to a 6-5 win.
Takashou finally had enough of it in the final, blowing out Meitoku Gijyuku 6-1 to take the title.
Kyushu (Completed)
And finally, in the southern super-region, here were the qualifiers:
Fukuoka - Kyushu Sangyoudai Kyushu, Kokura
Saga - Saga Shougyou, Kanzaki Seimei
Nagasaki - Kaisei, Nagasaki Sougou Kagakudai Fuzoku
Oita - Usuki, Meihou
Miyazaki - Nichinan Gakuen, Tomishima
Kumamoto - Shuugakukan, Kyushu Gakuin
Kagoshima - Kagoshima Jitsugyou, Kagoshima Jyousai, Shounan, Ooshima
Okinawa - Yaeyama, Kounan
Fukuoka has a wider variety of schools as for some reason unlike other metropolitan prefecures there is no dominant set of teams. Saga is not much of a surprise as Kanzaki Seimei has always been considered an above average school. Nagasaki is a bit of a surprise as there is no Nagasaki Nichidai, no Souseikan, no Seihou. Nagasaki Sougou Kagakudai Fuzoku is a new face, but didn't face anyone of note until Kaisei in the final. Oita's Meihou no surprise, but Usuki is defeating not only Meihou, but Oita Uenogaoka and Oita Shougyou as well. Same goes for Tomishima making the final, though they did beat St. Ursula. And it's scratch the rest of the way.
The results of the super-regional though was surprising. 2 schools almost blew through the fields. On one side was of all schools Shuugakukan! After a coming from behind to win 4-2 with all 4 runs late against Meihou, they easily took care of Yaeyama and Nichinan Gakuen. On the other side, it was Kaisei!! They dispatched Kounan and Usuki before overcoming an early deficit with a 5-run 4th to win 6-5.
And so it was that Shuugakukan and Kaisei would battle for the title! And it was all Shuugakukan scoring early and late in a 13-2 blowout!
So, here's where we probably stand with the bids:
Hokkaido (1) - Sapporo Dai-ichi
Tohoku (2) - Aomori Yamada (Aomori), Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei (Aomori)
Kanto (4) - Kisaradzu Sougou (Chiba), Jyousou Gakuin (Ibaraki), Toukaidai Koufu (Yamanashi), Kiryuu Dai-ichi (Gunma)
Tokyo (1) - Pending
Hokushinetsu (2) - Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui), Fukui Koudai Fukui (Fukui)
Tokai (2) - Touhou (Aichi), Inabe Sougou Gakuen (Mie)
Kinki (6) - Osaka Touin (Osaka), Shiga Gakuen (Shiga), Akashi Shougyou (Hyogo), Ryuukokudai Heian (Kyoto), Houtoku Gakuen (Hyogo), Chiben Gakuen (Nara)
Chuugoku (2) - Soushi Gakuen (Okayama), Nanyou Kougyou (Yamaguchi)
Shikoku (2) - Takamatsu Shougyou (Kagawa), Meitoku Gijyuku (Kochi)
Kyushu (4) - Shuugakukan (Kumamoto), Kaisei (Nagasaki), Kagoshima Jitsugyou (Kagoshima), Nichinan Gakuen (Miyazaki)
Hokushinetsu is going to be a weird case. Fukui already has had in recent years 2 qualifiers. I don't know how receptive the JHBF is to doing that again. But I can't really make an argument for the semifinalists either. So both Fukui schools should go - but that doesn't necessarily mean they (and by they I mean Fukui Koudai Fukui) will.
Otherwise, everything you see is probably who will be invited.
Hokkaido (Completed)
I look at the final, and it looks like Hokkaido Sakae had made the final, and actually had the lead. But Sapporo Dai-ichi rallied against ace Kanazawa to take the title 2-1. It's actually their first title, which is a bit surprising.
However, to their credit they defeated Hokushou 6-4, then Komadai Tomakomai 1-0 to reach the final. So this title was well-earned.
Tohoku (Completed)
Well, this is a surprise. First, here's who qualified.
Aomori - Hachinohe Kousei Gakuiin, Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi, Aomori Yamada
Akita - Akita, Noshiro, Noshiro Shouyou
Iwate - Moriokadai Fuzoku, Kamaishi, Ichinoseki Gakuin
Yamagata - Sakata Minami, Yamagata Chuo, Tsuruoka Higashi
Miyagi - Sendai, Tohoku, Touhou
Fukushima - Seikou Gakuin, Gakkou Houjin Ishikawa, Fukushima Shougyou
Aomori, scratch...
Akita, same there...
Iwate, whoa. No Hanamaki Higashi, but then again they generally have to reload after a run. And good for Kamaishi.
Yamagata, scratch...
Miyagi, Tohoku might finally be becoming relevant again.
Fukushima, it's Seikou Gakuin and everyone else.
As for the Super-Regionals, it was a shocker. Kousei gets to the final giving up just 1 run in 3 games. On the other half of the bracket it was of all teams Aomori Yamada who defeated Tsuruoka Higashi, Akita, Sendai Ikuei and Moriokadai Fuzoku to reach the final setting up a rematch of the Aomori semifinal.
And since both schools are bound to get the phone call, you would think that perhaps they'd tone it down for the final.
Nope. Both schools sent out their ace, and Aomori Yamada's Horioka outpitches Kousei's Sakurai in a 5-0 win! Maybe finally Aomori Yamada is back.
Kanto (Completed)
Kanto is generally the last to finish. But the prefecturals are done and here are the qualifiers:
Saitama (Super-Regional Hosts) - Urawa Gakuin, Hanasaki Tokuharu, Kasukabe Kyouei
Gunma - Kitoku, Kiryuu Dai-ichi
Ibaraki - Kasumigaura, Jyousou Gakuin
Tochigi - Hakuoudai Ashikaga, Bunsei Geidai Fuzoku
Chiba - Kisaradzu Sougou, Chiba Meitoku
Kanagawa - Yokohama, Toukou Gakuen
Yamanashi - Toukaidai Koufu, Nihon Koukuu
Saitama, scratch (yay Kasukabe Kyouei!)...
Gunma, hey there's a surprise, Kitoku defeated both Kendai Takasaki and Kiryuu Dai-ichi to take the prefectural title...
Ibaraki, I'm glad to see that Kasumigaura has been able to continue its success...
Tochigi, Bunsei Geidai Fuzoku will to me ever be linked with their soul-crushing win over Kanzei back in the famous 2006 tournament...
Chiba, I love Narashino but I know that their pitching hadn't been very strong over the last couple of years... Chiba Meitoku making the Super-Regionals is a cool thing though.
Kanagawa, Yokohama has not lost a step with Watanabe-kantoku's retirement defeating Touin Gakuen, mercy ruling Toukaidai Sagami and then Toukou Gakuen for the title...
Yamanashi, hooray! Nihon Koukuu makes it to the Super-Regional stage! Uh, oh, they were 2-hit shutout in the final...
The semifinals were 2 shutouts, Kisaradzu Sougou must be doing something right because after defeating Toukou Gakuen and Hanasaki Tokuharu 2-1 they shutout Toukaidai Koufu 2-0.
Jyousou Gakuin's defensive game seems to have won the day, defeating Yokohama, Nihon Koukuu (awww....) before shutting out Kiryuu Dai-ichi 4-0.
Weirdly, the final was anything but a defensive struggle. Perhaps it was the long slog through the tournament, but after the game was 1-1 through 5 the teams scored 13 more runs. including 2 runs each in the 9th to keep the game tied, and another run each in the 10th. Jyousou Gakuin would challenge again in the 13th with runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 out, but a strike throw home on a base hit, and a great tag by C Ozawa Shou would keep the game tied. And in the bottom half of the inning, Kisaradzu Sougou would take their one and only lead when ace Mitsuishi's grounder was booted at 2nd, allowing Koike - who had doubled earlier, to come home for the 8-7 win!
Tokyo (In progress)
Their prefecturals are their Super-Regionals so their tournament structure
How weird would it be if Kanto Dai-ichi and Nishogakushadai Fuzoku faced each other again?
Well... it could happen. Nishougakushadai Fuzoku plays Toukaidai Takanawadai in the first semifinal, while Kanto Dai-ichi faces Teikyou.
In a prefecture as big as Tokyo I cannot believe that these two schools could have their "rivalry" renewed yet again.
Hokushinetsu (Completed)
Well, the prefecturals lined up as follows:
Niigata - Nihon Bunri, Murakami Sakuragaoka, Tokyo Gakkan Niigata
Nagano - Nagano Shougyou, Saku Chousei, Matsushou Gakuen
Toyama - Takaoka Shougyou, Toyama Shougyou, Namerikawa, Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku
Ishikawa - Nonoichi Meirin, Komatsu, Komatsu Ootani
Fukui - Tsuruga Kehi, Fukui Koudai Fukui, Fukui Shougyou
Niigata, Nihon Bunri nothing new but the other two were surprises...
Nagano, looks like the capital city is finally putting out strong schools. Always thought it weird that the major city in a rural prefecture didn't have strong teams...
Toyama, top 2 nothing new but the last 2 good for them to make it in a year their prefecture hosts...
Ishikawa, what the heck?! Nonoichi Meirin defeated both Komatsu Ootani and Komatsu for the title? Seiryou nowhere to be seen as they are perhaps in rebuild mode.
Fukui, the scratchiest of the scratch.
All the surprises out of the prefecturals for the most part were easily eliminated in the first round of the Super-Regionals though Namerikawa had a lead against Nihon Bunri and Komatsu Ootani had rallied from down 4-0 to Takaoka Shougyou to take a 6-4 lead, only to give up 4 runs in an inning again to fall.
In the quarterfinals, Nihon Bunri may have been the victim of circumstance. Leading Saku Chousei 5-4 through 6 the game was declared a no-game due to rain and replayed the next day where they lost 2-1 in 11.
In the semis, Saku Chousei and Nagano Shougyou both put up fights in their games. Saku Chousei had the lead against Tsuruga Kehi, but the pitching couldn't close it out. Nagano Shougyou actually rallied from down 6-0 to tie the game but their pitching too let them down.
And so it was 2 Fukui schools in the finals, and a rematch of the prefectural final. Usually, the losing school in the first matchup would have a better go at it, but Tsuruga Kehi never let Fukui Koudai Fukui in the game, following up that 8-0 prefectural win with a 6-1 super-regional win.
Tokai (Completed)
In the small Tokai region, the qualifier for the Super-Regional were as follows:
Shizuoka - Kakegawa Nishi, Nichidai Mishima, Fujieda Meisei
Aichi - Touhou, Kyouei, Eitoku
Gifu - Oogaki Nichidai, Chuukyou, Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou
Mie - Kaisei, Mie, Inabe Sougou Gakuen
Gifu and Mie are very scratch, though one could argue that Kaisei defeating Mie is an upset. Kaisei though is a decently strong team in Mie so in terms of teams making it, this isn't a surprise. Shizuoka is a bit of a surprise to not see any of Shizuoka, Tokoha Kikugawa, Tokoha Tachibana among others. For Aichi, Touhou is an above average squad, Eitoku has been decent as well, and Kyouei is a surprise.
On one side, it was scratch. Mie defeated Eitoku and Kakegawa Nishi to reach the semis, where Touhou waited. Sadly for Mie, Touhou would prevail 3-1 to reach the final.
On the other side, Mie's schools seemed to show which prefecture had the best teams as a group. Inabe Sougou Gakuen defeated Nichidai Mishima, and then Oogaki Nichidai(!) to reach the semis. Kaisei with the first round bye, held on to defeat Kenrisu Gifu Shougyou 5-4(!) setting up a rematch of the semis of the prefectuals where Kaisei won 5-4 in extras. And in the rematch it would be ISG that would prevail with another close game, 2-1.
The final was nuts. ISG jumped out to a 6-0 lead right off the bat in the top of the 1st. Touhou immediately snagged 2 of the runs back in the bottom half and then in the 3rd got back the remaining runs. It looked like perhaps Touhou had the advantage taking the lead with 3 in the 6th, but ISG finally showed some life with 3 of their own in the lucky 7. This game would head to enchousen where 3B Konishi Keiji would deliver the game winning hit to give ISG the title 10-9!
Kinki (Completed)
Qualified teams from each prefecture were as follows:
Shiga - Kita-Ootsu, Oumi Kyoudaisha, Shiga Gakuen
Kyoto - Ryuukokudai Heian, Fukuchiyama Seibi
Nara - Chiben Gakuen, Naradai Fuzoku, Heijyou
Osaka - Osaka Shougyoudai Sakai, Osaka Touin, Hanandai
Wakayama - Shiritsu Wakayama, Kouyasan
Hyogo - Akashi Shougyou, Houtoku Gakuen, Shinkou Gakuen
Shiga, Kyoto - easily scratch.
Nara - Chiben Gakuen scratch. Naradai Fuzoku I think has cemented their place as a prefectural powerhouse even if they haven't been to Koushien as much as Chiben or Tenri. Heijyou would be a surprise, but then again any school would be that wasn't Tenri.
Osaka - Osaka Touin is scratch, even if 2nd in the prefecture. Osaka Shougyoudai Sakai isn't a powerhouse, but they produce results in a very big prefecture. Hanandai I've never heard of, so finishing 3rd is quite the accomplishment, even if their only quality game was a 1-0 win in the 3rd place game against Riseisha(!).
Wakayama - With perhaps the decline of Chiben Wakayama complete as Takashima-kantoku retired, Shiritsu Wakayama - who has been a good school in the prefecture, fills the gap. Kouyasan gets the benefit of filling the other spot.
Hyogo - This is actually scratch if you consider history. Akishi Shougyou and Shinkou Gakuen have historical success, even if not necessarily in recent times. Houtoku Gakuen has continued to be a strong school throughout the years.
As for the super-regionals, the end result was no surprise. Osaka Touin blew through their first 2 games, and then perhaps because they at this point qualified by reaching the semis ramped the team down... and still defeated Akaishi Shougyou to reach the finals where a surprise Shiga Gakuen team who defeated both Houtoku Gakuen, and Ryuukokudai Heian!
Shiga Gakuen fought hard in the final, but fell 3-2.
Chuugoku (Completed)
The region was almost fully scratch:
Tottori - Tottori Jyouhoku, Sakai, Tottori Nishi, Yonago Nishi
Okayama - Konkou Gakuen, Kurashiki Kougyou, Soushi Gakuen
Shimane - Taisha, Kaisei, Izumo
Hiroshima - Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin, Jyosuikan, Hiroshima Shinjyou
Yamaguchi - Hayatomo, Ube Shougyou, Nanyou Kougyou
The only team perhaps you could argue is a surprise is Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin, but even then they've been more than decent recently.
The sad part is that none of the prefectural champions made it out of the 2nd round and only Konkou Gakuen and Hayatomo made it out of the first round.
Nanyou Kougyou worked the hardest using their experience to survive 3 close games against Tottori Jyouhoku (Tottori 1), Hayatomo (Yamaguchi 1), and Jyosuikan (Hiroshima 2) to reach the final.
Meanwhile Soushi Gakuen, despite being the Okayama 3 seed was only troubled in their 1st game against Ube Shougyou before dispatching Konkou Gakuen and Izumo.
The final was a laugher, but in the favor of Soushi Gakuen! They beat Nanyou Kougyou 12-1 to take the title!!
Shikoku (Completed)
Shikoku was pretty scratch as well.
Kagawa - Shoudoshima, Takamatsu Shougyou, Eimei
Tokushima - Naruto, Jyounan, Ikeda
Kochi - Meitoku Gijyuku, Kochi Shougyou, Tosa
Ehime - Imabari Nishi, Niita, Saibi
Shoudoushima may not be a brand name, but they've been a good team in Kagawa for a while and I see them as a seeded team often. Same goes for Jyounan.
Like Chuugoku though, the top seeds did not fare well. Meitoku Gijyuku was the only prefectural winner to make it past their first round bye - and even then allowed Nitta to score 2 in the bottom of the 9th to make it a 5-4 game.
Desperate to leave no doubt about their invitation, as opposed to the last two years when they had to depend on the floating bid, they won their semifinal (in 10 innings) over Tosa 4-3.
Takamatsu Shougyou would be their opponent in the final, but their fans probably needed resuscitation. It was a close opening round against Ikeda until the 8th inning where they scored 2 to make it a "comfortable" 6-3. Then they blew a 5-2 lead to Imabari Nishi before scoring 4 in the 8th to win 9-7. And then against Saibi they trailed 3-0 right off the bat, scored 4 immediately thereafter to take the lead, and then nailbited to a 6-5 win.
Takashou finally had enough of it in the final, blowing out Meitoku Gijyuku 6-1 to take the title.
Kyushu (Completed)
And finally, in the southern super-region, here were the qualifiers:
Fukuoka - Kyushu Sangyoudai Kyushu, Kokura
Saga - Saga Shougyou, Kanzaki Seimei
Nagasaki - Kaisei, Nagasaki Sougou Kagakudai Fuzoku
Oita - Usuki, Meihou
Miyazaki - Nichinan Gakuen, Tomishima
Kumamoto - Shuugakukan, Kyushu Gakuin
Kagoshima - Kagoshima Jitsugyou, Kagoshima Jyousai, Shounan, Ooshima
Okinawa - Yaeyama, Kounan
Fukuoka has a wider variety of schools as for some reason unlike other metropolitan prefecures there is no dominant set of teams. Saga is not much of a surprise as Kanzaki Seimei has always been considered an above average school. Nagasaki is a bit of a surprise as there is no Nagasaki Nichidai, no Souseikan, no Seihou. Nagasaki Sougou Kagakudai Fuzoku is a new face, but didn't face anyone of note until Kaisei in the final. Oita's Meihou no surprise, but Usuki is defeating not only Meihou, but Oita Uenogaoka and Oita Shougyou as well. Same goes for Tomishima making the final, though they did beat St. Ursula. And it's scratch the rest of the way.
The results of the super-regional though was surprising. 2 schools almost blew through the fields. On one side was of all schools Shuugakukan! After a coming from behind to win 4-2 with all 4 runs late against Meihou, they easily took care of Yaeyama and Nichinan Gakuen. On the other side, it was Kaisei!! They dispatched Kounan and Usuki before overcoming an early deficit with a 5-run 4th to win 6-5.
And so it was that Shuugakukan and Kaisei would battle for the title! And it was all Shuugakukan scoring early and late in a 13-2 blowout!
So, here's where we probably stand with the bids:
Hokkaido (1) - Sapporo Dai-ichi
Tohoku (2) - Aomori Yamada (Aomori), Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei (Aomori)
Kanto (4) - Kisaradzu Sougou (Chiba), Jyousou Gakuin (Ibaraki), Toukaidai Koufu (Yamanashi), Kiryuu Dai-ichi (Gunma)
Tokyo (1) - Pending
Hokushinetsu (2) - Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui), Fukui Koudai Fukui (Fukui)
Tokai (2) - Touhou (Aichi), Inabe Sougou Gakuen (Mie)
Kinki (6) - Osaka Touin (Osaka), Shiga Gakuen (Shiga), Akashi Shougyou (Hyogo), Ryuukokudai Heian (Kyoto), Houtoku Gakuen (Hyogo), Chiben Gakuen (Nara)
Chuugoku (2) - Soushi Gakuen (Okayama), Nanyou Kougyou (Yamaguchi)
Shikoku (2) - Takamatsu Shougyou (Kagawa), Meitoku Gijyuku (Kochi)
Kyushu (4) - Shuugakukan (Kumamoto), Kaisei (Nagasaki), Kagoshima Jitsugyou (Kagoshima), Nichinan Gakuen (Miyazaki)
Hokushinetsu is going to be a weird case. Fukui already has had in recent years 2 qualifiers. I don't know how receptive the JHBF is to doing that again. But I can't really make an argument for the semifinalists either. So both Fukui schools should go - but that doesn't necessarily mean they (and by they I mean Fukui Koudai Fukui) will.
Otherwise, everything you see is probably who will be invited.
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