Day 2, Game 2 - Ryuukokudai Heian (Kyoto) vs. Meitoku Gijyuku (Kochi)

Our matinee game of the day features 2 familiar schools, but both seem to be off their A game this year despite qualifying.

It's hard to figure out who has the better resume. Heian has defeated Fukuchiyama Seibi, who has at least stayed relevant though not a top team. Meitoku Gijyuku's key win was defeating Tosa (twice).

Both teams have strong offensive numbers, though oddly, despite a 0.329/0.393/0.569 line, in 5 of Meitoku Gijyuku's 7 games they scored 5 runs or less - meaning that they seemingly aren't able to drive in runs despite getting on base. Though perhaps a 30-0 win over Kochi Kaiyou may be some of the reason why the numbers are inflated.

On the other hand, Heian scored 7 or more runs in every game up until their loss against Shiga Gakuen (who we've established is no slouch). While it's perhaps not fair to upgrade one team based upon seeing a performance yesterday, it is more information to use and as a result it's probable that Heian has the advantage in the matchup.

Ryuukokudai Heian (Kyoto)

CF Ogawa Koutarou
2B Kubota Yuu
SS Nishikawa Ranse
1B Hashimoto Kazuki

LF Okada Yuuki

P Ichioka Souma
3B Tomita Shintarou
RF Takeuchi Yoshinori
C Takeba Akahito

Meitoku Gijyuku (Kochi)

CF Tachibana Koutarou
2B Kaneda Eiki
RF Nishiura Hayato
C Koga Yuudai
LF Nishimura Shun
1B Hiraishi Yoshinobu
3B Ookita Kaito
SS Takamura Kazushi
P Nakano Yasutoshi

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11:15 - First Pitch!

Top 1st

Ogawa getting Heian off to a good start with a base hit to right. But he goes for 2 when Nishiura can't field the ball cleanly. Nishiura quickly recovers and throws out Ogawa.

And that seems to be costly. Kubota walks, and Nishikawa laces a ball to left center.

Heian looking for that timely hit instead sees Hashimoto get completely fooled on that curve. He backs out of the box as the curve falls in for strike 3. Okada can do no better as he just stares at the bender for strike 3.

Bottom 1st
Kaneda tries to get the Meitoku offense going with a single back up the middle. Ichioka has a rather interesting delivery as he really swings that leg around after he releases the pitch.

Koga takes a ball the other way down the RF line! They're waving Kaneda home! The relay in... IN TIME!

Meitoku also pushing the initiative on the basepaths, but Heian makes a great defensive play and cuts down the run at home!

Top 2nd
Heian jumping all over Nakano. Ichioka, and Tomita all with singles making the game 1-0 in Heian's favor. But once again, Heian pushes a bit too far, and Tomita is picked off at 2nd on a large lead.

Once again, another base hit as Takeba bloops one to center. Another run possibly lost. And when the top of the lineup can't do anything it stays 1-0.

Bottom 2nd
Looks like neither pitcher will get any peace this game. Hiraishi checks in with a one out single, and Ichioka thought he had strike 3 to Takamura, instead is called ball 4.

That proves costly, but not for the reason you'd think. Instead Ichioka uncorks 2 wild pitches and the lead runner comes home to tie the game. He does strike out Nakano to retire the side, but we're all level again.

Top 3rd
One down, Hashimoto with a drive to left. Nishimora going to the fence?

HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That HR left as fast as a Carlos Peguero HR! 2-1!

Okada with a drive to center! Tachibana's already given up!!!

HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That HR left just about as fast as the first, and it's renzoku HR's! 3-1!

Top 4th
Meitoku goes to the bullpen and #18 Kitamoto. He gives up a base hit, and while his control isn't as sharp a two-out walk to Kubota leads to naught.

Top 5th
However, things change in the 5th. Okada gets a 1-out single, and then moves to 2nd on yet another balk. After Ichioka gets his 2nd hit, he steals 2nd with no throw, and those 2 runners score Takeuchi hits a grounder that bounces off Hiraishi into foul territory. 5-1 and Meitoku is in a lot of trouble.

Rest of game
The game goes into a small lull, but in the 7th things turn again for Meitoku. Kitamoto issues a leadoff walk to Hashimoto, and after he's advanced to 2nd on a groundout, Ichioka singles past a sprinting Kaneda. Hashimoto aggressively sent home and the score is 6-1. Takeuchi follows that up with a grounder past a diving Takamura and the lead is extended to 7-1.  Heian then tries the steal 2nd, steal home strategy, but it backfires. Still though the game seems well in hand.

The rest of the game goes quietly as Meitoku Gijyuku's 3rd pitcher (Hayashida) was their most effective, but the offense just couldn't do anything against Ichioka. The final score ends at 7-1.

I was bothered by Ichioka's delivery throughout the game, but I think because of camera angles, and his delivery from the left side of the mound to the right side of the plate (aka a "crossfire" delivery), that's why it looks like his body isn't aligned right. I can't say I'm totally sold on him, but at least I can cross off one concern of mine.

Offensively, the team looked good, but interestingly it was the bottom of the lineup that did better than the top. Not sure what to read into that, but that's always a good sign.

Day 2, Game 1 - Shoudoshima (Kagawa) vs. Kamaishi (Iwate)

The tournament took a bit to wind up, but things appear to finally get rolling with Shiga Gakuen's dominance in the final game of the day. Day 2 is upon us, and 3 matchups that to be honest could go any which direction.

Sadly for Kamaishi and Shoudoshima, two of the three 21st century teams will have to square off right off the bat. While that does mean that one guaranteed does advance, it also guarantees that one is eliminated - though to be honest, the chances of all 3 advancing if they aren't playing each other is slim to none.

Shoudoshima can hang on their hat one thing that no other team can - they were the only team to defeat the Meiji Jingu champions Takashima Shougyou in the prefectural final. Now, they did lose to Tosa, but they weren't out of that game so they seem to at least be competitive, though not dominating - as evidenced by the fact that ace Hasegawa strikes out very few batters (3.7/9).

Kamaishi is by far the "feel good" story, being invited on the 5th anniversary of the Tohoku Earthquake. However, they do not have a quality win, instead their key game is a 6-3 loss to Moriokadai Fuzoku in the Iwate finals (Sadly Tohoku doesn't count as a powerhouse anymore). Their ace Iwama sports a K rate even worse than his counterpart (3!).

Both teams are offensively challenged, but given the pitching on the mound, all bets are off because it's possible the teams could go off.

On resume, Shoudoshima should be the favorite, but realistically it's a crap shoot.

Shoudoshima (Kagawa)

SS Himoto Naoya
3B Sudou Takumi
P Hasegawa Hironori
C Uematsu Yuuki
1B Ishikawa Ukyou
CF Sakakura Naoki
RF Shimoji Jyunya
LF Hourai Shouta
2B Sakaguchi Yamato

Kamaishi (Iwate)

RF Sasaki Kouta

CF Okamichi Yuuto

2B Okumura Sougo (#6)

3B Kikuchi Yuuki

1B Niinuma Koudai

P Iwama Dai

LF Sasaki Naoto

C Oojiri Yuuya

SS Ishizaki Noritaka (#4)

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09:00 - First Pitch!

What you're seeing is probably what will happen the rest of the game. Any time either team will get a baserunner, you can bet with almost 100% confidence that they will bunt them along. Neither teams' offense are prolific, so any baserunner they get will be leveraged as much as they can. Of course neither comes to anything in the first.

But it also looks like there will be a lot of opportunities to get runners as both pitchers throw really slow (~120). Both have a wide variety of pitches (I believe both have a 2-seamer, slider, curve, change), but throwing as slow as they do, there should be chances to get base hits.

Sakakura gets on base for Shoudoshima in the 2nd, but the bottom of the lineup can't get him home from 2nd.

Kamaishi's bottom of the 3rd, Oojiri singles through the right side, but when a balk is called on a pickoff attempt, Ishizaki's bunt moves him to 3rd instead. Back to the top of the lineup, and Kouta guides a ball at his shoetops just onto the grass in center for a 1-0 lead.

Seemingly to keep the balance, In the 4th Uematsu heli's a high pitch down the right field line for a double and eventually moves to 3rd. But unlike Kamaishi, Shoudoshima's batters can't bring the run home.

Shoudoshima gets another chance with Hourai's single back up the middle to start the 5th. Sakaguchi struggles with the bunt, but the 3rd time's the charm (it'd better be) and moves the runner over. Himoto gets a hold of one, but flies it to the toughest part of the ballpark (RF) and is out. Hourai does take the tagup though so there's that.

But Sudou chops one to 3rd. Yuuki makes the pick and throw, beating a head-sliding Sudou to end the threat. The game eventually hits the break with a balk being the difference.

Opportunities start to crop up more often in the 2nd half of the game. Both times Shoudoshima got a runner on base, it was with 1 out and Sugiyoshi-kantoku elected to try and steal 2nd. It wasn't successful in the 6th, and while it was in the 8th with 2 down, Hasegawa meekly grounded out to 2nd to end the inning.

Kamaishi meanwhile started getting more solid hits. Okamichi and Iwama both got doubles in the 6th and 7th respectively. But they too  couldn't get the timely hit like they did in the 3rd.

But in the 8th, after a single by Souta. Okumura with 2 down outhits his coverage. Sakakura chases the ball back, but that easily brings in the run. 2-0 and that settled affairs.

At least I thought it did. Ishikawa does get a one out single to left. But suddenly out of nowhere, a grounder to short by Sakakura bounces off Okumura and into left. And then Naoto misplays it! It gets past him too and Ishikawa scores all the way from 1st! Amazingly, it's 2-1!

But I think Shoudoshima tried to press on, Shimoji grounding to 3rd (does advance the runner), and Hourai quickly grounding out to 2nd to end the game. Kamaishi does hold on for the win, despite the bizarre circumstances in the 9th.

There isn't really much to say here as neither team really impressed offensively, and while Iwama was the better pitcher, he certainly was hittable. His pitches had good movement, but I think Shoudoshima could have been more patient at the plate.

Day 1, Game 3 - Shiga Gakuen (Shiga) vs. Kiryuu Dai-ichi (Gunma)

Rounding out the day, it feels like a role reversal. If one were to look at this at name value, Kiryuu Dai-ichi would be the favorite. But instead, Shiga Gakuen has the stronger resume. The offense is solid through the lineup, and the pitching isn't #1 worthy, but it's certainly servicable. Uchiike Kakeru's numbers for Kiryuu Dai-ichi look strong, but it's been mostly against weaker competition. If Shiga Gakuen can keep it level or take the lead early, it may be hard for Kiryuu Dai-ichi to advance.

Shiga Gakuen (Shiga)

RF Tokudome Kaito

2B Ikawa Shou

C Gotou Katsuki

1B Umagoshi Daichi

3B Matsuoka Tatsuki

LF Yamaguchi Ryuuki

CF Nishimura Taiki

SS Kohama Ryouki

P Kamimura Hikari

Kiryuu Dai-ichi (Gunma)

CF Oikawa Keita
LF Shimoma Takumi (#16)
C Takada Shuuhei
3B Kaburagi Fuuka
1B Takarada Yoshimune
RF Ikeda Shuuma (#7)
SS Yanagiya Taichi (#14)
P Uchiike Kakeru
2B Saitou Kyou

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16:07 - First Pitch!

Top 1st

Tokudome exercising patience at the plate, draws an opening walk. Igawa, sporting shades, bunts him over. Gotou with a rip shot, but Kaburagi right on it for the 2nd out.

Shiga Gakuen a team of characters it seems. Umagoshi whips the bat over his head as if he's going to take off like a heli. Draws a walk though, so I guess that's a plus.

No base hits for Shiga Gakuen, but they're showing they're willing to take a base if given to them.

Bottom 1st
Kamimura has no nerves it seems unlike all the others. He gets a 1-2-3 inning as easy as you like.

Top 2nd
Yamaguchi chopper to the right side, but he books it and catches the defense napping! He's on with an infield hit!

Nishimura bunts, Uchiike goes to 2nd, but Yamaguchi slides in ahead of the throw!!  All safe, and Fukuda-kantoku quick to call time.

No good! Kohama rips a single to right and Yamaguchi scores easily! Not only that but Nishimura takes 3rd! 1-0! Shiga Gakuen!

Tokudome does the right thing, chops a ball to the right side. Saitou snags the ball, but the run scores to make it 2-0!

Ikawa another scorcher! This one's to the right side and Kohama is being waved around! The throw in... and Kohama avoids the tag! It's 3-0!! Holy crap I'm impressed!

Top 3rd
Umagoshi up for his 2nd AB, and gets hit in the foot. Haven't really seen him swing yet. He's bunted to 2nd and moves to 3rd as Yamaguchi looked to put the ball to the right side.

Nishimura Ks to end the inning, but I they seem to have a plan every time they step in the box.

Bottom 3rd
Yanagiya gets the first runner with a scorcher up the 1st base line! Uchiike shows bunt, but tries the buster approach and fouls it off! He does though eventually bunt him along.

Kamimura isn't an overpowering pitcher, but he knows where to go in the zone. He's not afraid to go to either side of the plate and mix things up.

Top 4th
The hit parade continues! Kohama and Kamimura with back to back solid singles. Tokudome not bunting, but uses a jam shot to do the same thing.

Ikawa grounder to the right side, and it finds a spot between a drawn in Takarada and Saitou! That scores 12 to make it 4-0!

Gotou singles past Yanagiya and that's another run! 5-0!

That's it for Uchiike as #10 Aoki comes in... and promptly hits Umagoshi... Oy.

Matsuoka grounder to 1st, AHHHH!!!

It goes through Takarada's wickets! 2 more runners score and it's a blowout now at 7-0.

The damage ends there, but it's more than enough.

Bottom 4th
A rare hiccup for Kamimura as he hits back-to-back batters, but as quickly as it happened, he retires the next 2 batters and the disturbance is over.

Rest of game
There really isn't much more to say so far. Shiga Gakuen continues to add-on while the heart of the Kiryuu lineup tries to start anything. Takada and Kaburagi get base hits the next time around, and Takarada gets a lucky slow chopper back to Kamimura. But he completely has Ikeda guessing and strikes out to retire the side,

The 7th for Kiryuu Dai-ichi sees sloppy play from the leaders. There's a mixup on a fly ball between Yamaguchi and Nishimura. Ikawa tries for a flashy glove toss to 2nd on a grounder up the middle, and Gotou doesn't allow access to home on a close play. It results in 3 runs, but more importantly there's a lack of focus.

That lack of focus seems to still persist. What should have been the 3rd out, instead goes under Kohama's glove and into left. This already with 2 runners on, leads to the 4th run. Shimoma singles to left and it's a 9-5 game... A wild pitch makes things even more tenuous, but Takada grounds out to 3rd to end the inning. Still, that comfortable lead is made even less so.

In the end though, Shiga Gakuen gets their act together and closes out the game. The final is 9-5, though it shouldn't have been that close. They can be a dark horse in the tournament, but they need to focus for the full 9 innings.

Day 1, Game 2 - Kagoshima Jitsugyou (Kagoshima) vs. Jyousou Gakuin (Ibaraki)

Another possible staff ace takes the mound in Suzuki Shouta. He showed off his wares last spring when he held Osaka Touin to just 3 ER in their loss. His control can still be an issue, and Kagoshina Jitsygyou's offense may be able to pounce if he has a bad day. But once again, it'll be up to Kajitsu's offense to relieve the pressure on their ace because they are far from dominating.

Kagoshima Jitsugyou (Kagoshima)

SS Itoda Tomoya

CF Sasaki Koudai

RF Nakamura Sora

1B Wataya Itsuki

2B Itagoe Yuuki

C Itoda Takaya

LF Oitate Souki

3B Yoshioka Taisei

P Maruyama Takuya

Jyousou Gakuin (Ibaraki)

CF Suyama Yuuki
2B Arimura Kouta
3B Hanawa Naoki
1B Miyazato Toyota
P Suzuki Shouta
SS Nakamura Jin
LF Ishikawa Dai
RF Ara Masahiro
C Kimura Kentarou

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13:10 - First Pitch!

Top 1st

Suzuki supposedly has a slider, shuuto, 2 seam and curve and changeup. The fastball sits in the upper 130s.

He's definitely working around the zone, but the Kajitsu batters are at least working the counts. It's a clean inning with Sora the only one making good contact lining out to center. But it's 18 pitches in the 1st.

Bottom 1st
Suyama with a clean single to start affairs for Jyousou Gakuin. No bunt, but Arimura hits the ball to the right side on a hit-and-run, moving him along.

After a walk, Miyazato brings in a run with a single to right, already 1-0.

Suzuki with a ball to right center... but it's off Sasaki's glove! E8 and it's manrui!

Jin follows that up with a single past a diving Itagoe into right, and it's 2-0. Miayshita-kantoku calling time.

Top 2nd
Suzuki continues to rack up the pitch count as he cannot retire a batter quickly. Itagoe uses that to draw an 11-pitch walk with one down. Suzuki then hits Takaya on a pitch inside and Kajitsu is in business.

That is until Oitate hits one back to Suzuki and he starts the 1-6-3 double play.

Bottom 2nd
Maruyama much better in the 2nd. He does walk Suyama, but otherwise looks better than he did in the 1st inducing weak contact.

Top 3rd
Kajitsu continues to get chances. Arimura boots a ball allowing the leadoff batter to reach base. But despite a bunt to turn over the lineup, nothing materializes out of it...

Top 4th
Suzuki still struggling. He hits Sora after falling behind 3-0. Wataya bloops one just over an outstretched Arimura. Itagoe bunts them along, and it's a great chance for Kajitsu!

And Takaya delivers! It's a single through the left side! One run scores and we finally see flickers from the opposing team! 2-1!

Oitate with a clean single to right and that ties up the game! 2-2!

3 straight hits now as Yoshioka singles to left! Manrui!

But Maruyama hits one up the middle right to Jin! He spins, tags 2nd and throws to 1st for the 6-3 double play! Inning over, but the cracks are getting bigger!

Bottom 4th
Meanwhile, Maruyama has settled down. He's working the sides of the zone and jamming the Jyousou batters. He gets his 2nd 1-2-3 inning and keeps the momentum going.

Top 5th
Two down and a runner at 1st, and Watays crushes a ball to right center! Sasaki is able to hustle home and in a blink of an eye they have the 3-2 lead! It was only a single because I think Wataya thought it might be gone. Either that or he's really slow.

Bottom 5th
What seemed like another 1-2-3 inning was spoiled when Hanawa singled through the right side. And when Miyaato walked, you thought perhaps he might be spoiling his newfound lead. Instead, he gets a grounder to short and the 3rd out.

Kajitsu certainly has the lead and the advantage, but Maruyama can't let down his guard just yet.

Top 6th
Takaya strikes out as Suzuki records just his 2nd K, OH DEAR.

I amaze at that and then I see Oitate crush a ball! Ishikawa runs to the fence! Is it really! He gives up!

HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big problems now for Jyousou! 4-2 Kajitsu!

Bottom 6th
Jin trying to claw back free swings a single to right.

Ishikawa follows that with another soft single to left! Is Maruiyama wearing down? Ara almost gets a walk, but instead bunts the runners over.

Kimura on the first pitch, but it's a fly right to Oitate in left.

After falling behind to Suyama, they put him on and now #10, submariner Tanimura comes in.

Rising ball for the 1st strike. Working the bottom of the zone...

Arimura skies one! Kimura behind home makes the catch and Kajitsu is out of the pinch!!

Bottom 7th
It's not over yet though. Hanawa singles back up the middle.

Miyazato with a blooper to shallow center, and it falls in! But Hanawa wan't halfway and he's thrown out at 2nd!

But the walks that Tanimura had (~7/ 9 IP) are rearing their heads. He walks Suzuki and now runs the count full to Jin.

But no! Jin grounds to 2nd! Itagoe turns to 2nd for 1, throw from Tomoya... dug out by Wataya! 3 out and once again they're out of the jam!

Top 9th
Suzuki leaves the mound in mass changes. He goes to right while #10 Kashimura comes in for Ara to take the mound. #16 Noro comes in for Yoshinari to play LF and #12 Suzuki comes in at C.

Things seemingly going downhill fast. Leadoff walk and back-to-back wild pitches.

Tomoya with a squeeze bunt, but goes foul!

He does it again on a pitch way high and somehow pops it into no-man's land! He gets the run home and it's 5-2!

It does go downhill, Sasaki's single to right is overrun by Suzuki and allows him to reach 3rd. Sora singles through the left side, making it 6-2.

Bottom 9th
Those insurance runs pretty much settle affairs. Outside of a double by Hanawa, Jyousou Gakuin goes quietly in the 9th and falls 6-2.

Suzuki never looked comfortable on the mound and Kajitsu's batters continuously ran the count high, putting him in high stress situations. He eventually cracked, and the offense couldn't do anything against a pair of pitchers who on paper seemed vulnerable.

Day 1, Game 1 - Fukui Koudai Fukui (Fukui) vs. Chiben Gakuen (Nara)

So we're finally off and running here at Koushien! And it's two mainstays to open up proceedings here in the 88th Senbatsu.

Fukui Koudai Fukui didn't get a pattycake pairing, but also didn't get one of the powerhouses. Getting to face Chiben Gakuen's Murakami Shouki though, isn't a good thing. The pressure early will be on the offense to give ace Tanaka a break with a lead. If not, it may be a long day for him and his defense.

Fukui Koudai Fukui (Fukui)

2B Kitagawa Tomoya (#6)

SS Tanimoto Katsuhito (#4)

RF Fukuda Shouto

3B Kitamura Shintarou

LF Asari Taiki

1B Tsukamoto Taiki

C Shimatani Genki

P Tanaka Arashi

CF Yamauchi Takafumi

Chiben Gakuen (Nara)

C Okasawa Tomoki

2B Osame Daichi

SS Oota Hidetake

LF Fukumoto Yuuma (#9)

1B Takahashi Naoki

P Murakami Shouki

3B Oohashi Shunpei

RF Oogita Shougo (#7)

CF Aoki Yuudai

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10:33 - First Pitch!

Top 1st

And with a 136 kph fastball, we're underway!

Yes, you read that stat right, Murakami has a K/9 rate approaching 11. But again, he padded that stat with a lot of easy games.

Kitagawa gets hold of a hanging curve and singles to left to start proceedings.

Tanimoto lays down a bunt, and Chiben Gakuen's battery waits it out, only to see it stay fair for a base hit! Now Fukuda bunts them along and Chiben Gakuen in a pinch!

Murakami gets a small reprieve, getting Kitamura to chase a fastball outside for strike 3.

But Murakami struggling with control, throwing pitches not even close to the zone, even still he manages to get the count full after falling behind 3-0.

Tsukamoto with a hard ball to 3rd, but Oohashi is there to smother it and runs to the bag for the 3rd out! Big pinch, but Murakami avoids any damage!

Bottom 1st
Tanaka not looking any more on early, walks his leadoff batter.

Oy, another walk. This isn't the start he needed.

Or that...

Fukumoto kills a ball up at his eyes. Yamauchi chases it back as it goes off the wall. Both runners score on the play, and it's already 2-0 Chiben Gakuen.

Tanaka settles down enough to get Takahashi to chase a slider for the 2nd out, and Murakami hits a weak comebacker to retire the side., Still, Fukui Koudai Fukui on the back foot right off the bat.

Top 2nd
Break for Fukui Koudai Fukui when Tanimoto sails a throw to 1st wide. Yamauchi not bunting, and he takes advantage of a waiting Tanimoto to hustle out that single!

Ah~~~ but that opportunity too goes begging. Kitamura hits a rocket shot right to 1B Takahashi and he doubles off Yamauchi. Inning over, and they're getting no breaks.

Bottom 2nd
Another leadoff walk from Tanaka. No bunt this time though, and Oogita can't lay off the slider for the first out.

Aoki looking for a fastball, squares a changeup foul. Tanaka gets his slider to catch the bottom of the zone for strike 3!

Okazawa with a shot to left! Asari sprinting to the foul pole, jumps... and makes the catch as he crashes into the padding! 3 out and Asari saves a run!

3rd Inning
Tanimoto gets a leadoff hit after a check swing blooper to shallow right. But while Murakami struggles a bit with the counts, he retires the next 3 batters.

Tanaka meanwhile finally gets an easy inning, surprisingly retiring the 2-3-4 batters in order. Part of it is though that the batters want to hit and chases a couple of outside balls.

Top 4th
Shimatani with a clean single to left, the first well-hit ball by the team. Tanaka follows that up with a lucky irregular bounce that eats up Osame. Once again though, Fukui Koudai Fuki can't capitalize and both runners are left stranded...

Bottom 4th
Those hard hit outs are now finding open space. Takahashi with a single to right. Murakami with a single to left center. Asari unexplicably throws to 3rd where he has no chance, and allows Murakami to take 2nd.

That proves costly when Oohashi hits a clean single to left. Both runners come in to make it 4-0.

Top 5th
Fukuda gets a one-out seeing eye single through the right side, but once again the offense cannot gain any traction flying out to end the inning.

Murakami isn't anything special compared to the other pitchers, but I think his weakness is having to pitch with runners on. He seems less consistent.

Bottom 5th
Tanaka was on his way to a clean inning before the break, but a simple no call between Kitamura and Kitagawa on a popup leads to a bit of a stressful inning as Takahashi singles to center. But Murakami strikes out to end the mini-pinch and we hit the break with Chiben Gakuen in control.

Top 6th
Shimatani the only player seeing the ball well. Almost hits Murakami with his smoker back up the middle. Then a mixup on the pitch moves him to 2nd.

But the broken record plays again. The following batters weakly pop out and the runner is left stranded.

Bottom 6th
Once again, it seems like Tanaka has ridden out the storm and while he yields a leadoff walk, nothing comes out of it.

7th Inning
The Lucky 7 is lucky for no one but the pitchers. Both get easy innings, but it's Fukui Koudai Fukui that's under increasing pressure.

Rest of game
Fukui Koudai Fukui adds 2 more hits in the 8th making the total 10. Yet they still cannot bring in 1 run. The game simply runs to its conclusion with a 4-0 win for Chiben Gakuen.

Murakami registers 7 K's (138 pitches) in the win, but never really dominated like the numbers he put up in the fall. His control wasn't great, but was around the zone enough to be effective. The offense will need to pick up though because I don't think we'll see another performance like that from him.

Draw, rosters, and matchup previews

The draw, and rosters are out! And with no group of death, the strong should be able to get through the levels with no problem... right?

So, let's go through the games. One thing to keep in mind is that there will be many games where the grades are close together, but are all low. It won't mean that the games are low-scoring per se, but rather that the games could be close.

Day 1
Fukui Koudai Fukui (Fukui) C-/D+ vs Chiben Gakuen (Nara) C/C-
With grades as low as these are, it's a crap shoot who gets the advantage here. Murakami for Chiben Gakuen is probably better than his counterpart Tanaka and the offense is slightly better for Chiben Gakuen as well, so perhaps the scales tip slightly in their favor.

Jyousou Gakuin (Ibaraki) B-/C+ vs. Kagoshima Jitsugyou C-/C
Jyousou Gakuin will certainly have the advantage on the mound as ace Suzuki should take the hill to give his team a good start. He will probably give Kajitsu their toughest test yet. And ace Maruyama doesn't get to ease into Koushien. Jyousou should have the advantage in the matinee game.

Kiryuu Dai-ichi (Gunma) C/C vs. Shiga Gakuen (Shiga) B-/B
Normally you'd think that Kiryuu Dai-ichi would be the favorite based upon brand name, but Shiga Gakuen has proven their mettle during the aki taikai. Kiryuu Dai-ichi is still untested, so it's possible that their grades are slightly understated, especially with respect to ace Uchiike. Shiga Gakuen's offense though should prove a good test.

Day 2
Kamaishi (Iwate) D/D- vs. Shoudoshima (Kagawa) C/D-
Um... flip a coin? Both offenses struggle, the pitching staffs are the furthest from spectacular. Shoudoshima did defeat Takamatsu Shougyou, so there's that, but Kamaishi has less voids in their lineup.

Meitoku Gijyku (Kochi) C-/C- vs. Ryuukokudai Heian (Kyoto) C-/C
Both schools would be normally considered good teams, but this year the schools are rather untested. Despite the same grades on the pitching side, Heian has a higher K rate, but a higher BB rate as well and offensively at least Heian has gaudy numbers that you would expect to see against weaker competition. Give Ryuukokudai Heian the edge as ace Nakano will be putting his defense under pressure the entire game.

Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei (Aomori) D+/C vs. Kaisei (Shimane) C-/D+
Kousei gets a rare favorable draw facing Shimane's Kaisei. Ace Sakurai can slowly work himself into play at Koushien against the weak Kaisei offense, and the bats should have a shot to get themselves warmed up as well.

Day 3
Akashi Shougyou (Hyogo) C/C vs. Nichinan Gakuen (Miyazaki) C/C-
This matchup is pretty equal all things considered. The slight mismatch on offense favoring Akashi Shougyou is that you have a tradeoff between getting basehits (Akashi Shougyou) versus getting walks and XBH (Nichinan Gakuen), and even that could be considered a push. Mabye with a deeper bench that Hazama-kantoku can use they have a better shot, but really you can go 50-50.

Touhou (Aichi) B-/C- vs. Kanto Dai-ichi (Tokyo) C/B-
Is is another matchup of strengths and weaknesses. Touhou has good pitching, but faces a good offense. Kanto Dai-ichi's pitching isn't stellar, but neither is Touhou's offense.

If ace Fujishima can keep Kanto Dai-ichi's batters off-balance, they stand a good chance. The same goes if his offense can be patient enough at times to draw walks. If not, then Kanto Dai-ichi stands a better chance. Just because pitching can keep you in games, edge goes to Touhou, but not by a whole lot.

Sapporo Dai-ichi (Hokkaido) C-/D+ vs. Kisaradzu Sougou (Chiba) B+/C
Despite this being between 2 super-regional champions, this is a pretty bad mismatch. While the numbers at face value seem similar, Kisaradzu Sougou had by far the tougher schedule. Sapporo Dai-ichi should struggle to score runs, allowing Kisaradzu Sougou to take any extra time to crack ace Kamide.

Day 4
Tosa (Kochi) D+/D- vs. Osaka Touin (Osaka) B-/A-
Sadly, that mismatch will be overshadowed by this one. Tosa shouldn't stand much of a chance here in this one against Osaka Touin unless they can somehow draw walks and turn that into runs. Other than that, might as well fill that line in now.

Shiritsu Wakayama (Wakayama) C-/C- vs. Nanyou Kougyou (Yamaguchi) C-/C
Both pitching staffs are underwhelming making this a volatile matchup. Shiritsu Wakayama has proven to put up good numbers against lesser competition, so that might favor them, but Nanyou Kougyou for some reason can make runs appear from almost nothing. Like I said before though, I need Nanyou Kougyou to prove they can do that, so for now Shiritsu Wakayama has the edge, if only slight.

Shuugakukan (Kumamoto) B/B vs. Hanasaki Tokuharu (Saitama) B/C
This matchup is probably the closest you'll get to a quality matchup early. The pitching staffs are both solid, though perhaps the edge goes to Hanasaki Tokuharu as Takahashi shouldn't have stamina issues this early. Offensively, both teams have holes, but Shuugakukan's offense - at least in getting baserunners, was solid throughout while Hanasaki Tokuharu's offense was a little more inconsistent.

I think it will hinge on when Kajisha-kantoku of Shuugakukan sends in ace Arimura. As mentioned in the previews, while Arimura has the majority of the innings, he is more of a control pitcher, while the relief starters are more K artists (at least it seems so). If Arimura can hold his own, then Shuugakukan probably has the edge. If not, well the result's fairly obvious.

Day 5
Toukaidai Koufu (Yamanashi) C/C+ vs. Soushi Gakuen (Okayama) B/C
This matchup features a pair of teams that are fairly unexposed. Both Toukaidai Koufu and Soushi Gakuen held the line well up until they had their first real test. Toukaidai Koufu's pitching in terms of giving up runs was stellar, even in their loss to Kisaradzu Sougou. If that can hold against Soushi Gakuen, their C grade should be bumped up. But Kikuchi is much the contact pitcher, so it will be interesting to see how he holds up. Soushi Gakuen's offense is much more solid down the lineup than Toukaidai Koufu, and not facing either giving up an inning or killing a rally is a big plus. I would give Soushi Gakuen the edge, but Toukaidai Koufu has upside.

Takamatsu Shougyou (Kagawa) B+/B+ vs. Inabe Sougou Gakuen (Mie) C-/D+
The Meiji Jingu champions finally take the field near the end of the 1st round, and get about one of the softest matchups they can get. Inabe Sougou Gakuen may be better off if reliever Watanabe Keigo gets the start, because it feels like with ace Yamauchi they'd be hanging on by the shortest of threads. Pair that against an offense that kept up with both Osaka Touin and Tsuruga Kehi? It's a recipe for disaster.

Kaisei (Nagasaki) C/C+ vs. Nagata (Hyogo) B-/D
Really, this will be a battle of offenses. Can Nagata, generate any offense to give their ace a chance? For Kaisei, can their ridiculous team BA translate at all against arguably one of the better pitchers in the tournament? Normally I'd give the team with the staff ace the edge, but Nagata's offense is so bad that I can't tip them with any confidence.

Day 6
Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui) B/B+ vs. Aomori Yamada (Aomori) D/C-
Tsuruga Kehi shouldn't be troubled by Aomori Yamada, but of bigger concern for them is that this slot means that ace Yamazaki will get no rest. Do not be surprised if Nishimoto actually gets the start here to prevent Yamazaki from getting early use because their 2 days off between games will be the most they get barring rainouts. It's either that or they start their ace this game then rest against the winner of the Kaisei/Nagata game. Either way, they should be favored regardless in both matchups.

88th Senbatsu Revised Rankings

So I have some new stats to take advantage of. Here's how they change the rankings.

Sapporo Dai-ichi - Pitching C+ C-, Offense D D+
So, the pitching gets downgraded because ace Kamide's peripherals are worse than expected with a K/9 sitting just above 7. And even in their win against Kanto Dai-ichi they still gave up 4 runs. The offense gets a bump up because the team is willing to take walks it seems, even when against better teams (this isn't generally the case). But there are still black holes in the lineup and the weak competition makes the stellar batting averages not so impressive.

Aomori Yamada - Pitching D+ D, Offense C C-
The pitching grade takes a hit because the team seems to be teetering on the verge of destruction. The pitchers have control issues, don't strike out a lot of batters and allow quite a few baserunners. The offense also takes a hit because the team is pretty much a station to station team. And while they were able to defeat some well-known teams in the super-regionals there are holes in the lineup and the team doesn't seem to take their walks - hence the downgrade.

Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei - Pitching D D+, Offense C+ C
The net grade is the same, but the pitching has been upgraded and the offense has been downgraded a tick. The pitching numbers at least in giving up baserunners is solid enough that even with regression, it's better than Aomori Yamada. As for the offense, the numbers are good 1 through 9, which is a positive, but the level of competition wasn't strong so when adjusted they could possibly be average to below average.

Kisaradzu Sougou - Pitching B+ (extra points for better depth), Offense C
No change. The tandem of Hayakawa and Takeda should suit the team well, but both are lefties. Their only serviceable righty, Ookuma, is barely usable. So facing a team with strong righties might be a problem. The offense, while they do take walks, struggle to bring the runners home.

Jyousou Gakuin - Pitching B B- (points for experience negated due to lack of control), Offense C C+
If ace Suzuki Shouta could go 9 innings each time out, Jyousou might be a B or B+. But Sasaki-kantoku immediately sat him as soon as the team would default qualify for the next stage. This could be a problem if he cannot hold up as the rest between games disappears. The offense get a bump because of the level of competition faced, but don't expect too many XBH fromt he team as well.

Toukaidai Koufu - Pitching C- C, Offense C+
The pitching gets a bump up because while the K numbers are not that stellar their walk rates are pretty small. And even with the implied contact this means, their WHIP figures are really good. The only negative, and this is why it's only a slight bump up is that their competition are borderline 2nd tier teams at best. Those balls hit for outs may fall in for base hits against better competition. The offense is left as is because while the team is a station-to-station squad, unlike Kisaradzu Sougou they can bring the runners in. That combined with the fact that they soundly defeated teams they should have means that the team plays pretty honestly.

Kiryuu Dai-ichi - Pitching C+ C, Offense C+ C
The team gets a downgrade on both accounts. If Uchiike could go the full 9, the grade would certainly be better. But Aoki shares the load and his numbers are anything but stellar. Offensively the team hits few extra base hits, doesn't walk much, and falling completely flat in their 2 losses is a concern.

Hanasaki Tokuharu - Pitching B+ B, Offense C
Ace Takahashi is the real deal and was tested with short rest through the aki taikai. He didn't crater in his games, only giving up more than 2 runs to Waseda Honjyou. The downgrade is whether or not he can handle a full workload. (To be fair, this makes it sound like a team will only get an high grade if they have the standalone ace that I mentioned is very hard and shouldn't be done. This is true. But if you can put together a deeper staff that is above average, that also can earn you a high grade).

Kanto Dai-ichi - Pitching B- C, Offense B-
The pitching gets one of more bigger downgrades. The team's ERA seems to hide a bad walk rate and an above average amount of baserunners. Yes, their competition was strong, but it actually wasn't in those games where their walk rates took a hit - and that is even more concerning. The offense will keep them in games, with a few holes but can certainly hit gappers.

Tsuruga Kehi - Pitching B+ B, Offense A- B+
Tsuruga Kehi gets downgraded on both accounts. First, While Yamazaki pitched 8 complete games, he never went 3 consecutive in the short rest situations except for the Meiji Jingu final where he fell completely flat against Takamatsu Shougyou. Nishimoto's peripherals are not great - doesn't mean he can't be a good reliever, but it's a big query.

The offense is great, but it's not top level. Yamazaki is a complete black hole, and there are other holes in the lineup meaning that opponents can have a breather. Yes, there are dangerous parts of the lineup, and an opposing pitcher will have to sweat it out more often than not but I think there are more cracks compared to last year.

Fukui Koudai Fukui - Pitching C C-, Offense C D+
The gap between Tsuruga Kehi and Fukui Koudai Fukui are basically night and day. They were completely outmatched in both of their matchups, outside of ace Tanaka the bullpen is unusable and Tanaka himself doesn't impress. Finally the offense hitting sub 0.300 against sub-par competition is the final nail in the coffin.

Touhou - Pitching C+ B-, Offense D+ C-
In looking at Fujishima's numbers as a whole, Touhou gets a bump up. Yes, there are issues with his stamina should they make a deep run, but that doesn't change the fact that he allows them to make a deep run in the first place. Matsuyama's numbers meanwhile look good, but in his relief appearance against Aomori Yamada it wasn't as gaudy so perhaps we have to scale that back. Doesn't mean he can serve as an effective reliever, it's just you can't believe the numbers at face value.

Offensively, the team isn't as bad as the grade showed before. Yes, they have gaudy numbers against no-name teams, but they also beat Chuukyoudai Chuukyou, Aikoudai Meiden and Mie. Not powerhouses at this point in time, but still brand name teams.

Inabe Sougou Gakuen - Pitching C C-, Offense D+
While ISG was able to hold with Touhou in the final, the concerns for Touhou mean that ISG perhaps had a gift matchup. The pitching under ace Yamauchi Tomoki is not great, and is probably the reason why he is relieved. In fact, he's more like a pitcher who the manager uses to try and get to their short relievers. That's hard to stomach. No change in the offensive grades - despite playing some competition, there are holes in the lineup and the team doesn't go for extra bases or draws walks.

Osaka Touin - Pitching B-, Offense A-
No change. Looking at Osaka Touin in general you know what you're going to get more often than not. You're going to get a great offensive squad (there is a hole or two), and the pitching isn't great, but it does enough. Consider that of the 3 pitchers primarily used, only one has a BB/9 rate < 3 which means that a good chunk of their WIP is due to walks. As long as the offense can produce, Osaka Touin is fine.

Shiga Gakuen - Pitching B-, Offense B- B
Slight upgrade for Shiga Gakuen. Despite the worse K rates for ace Kamimura compared to Osaka Touin, they've had harder competition, and Tanahara may prove to be a good reliever as opposed to the options Osaka Touin has. Offensively, the team hits well in general from top to bottom and gets some extra base hits to relieve the pressure of getting multiple hits in an inning.

Akashi Shougyou - Pitching C+ C, Offense C+ C
Yoshitaka gets a downgrade due to the lower quality of competition and the poor numbers against Osaka Touin. And while the offense is solid, the team is a station-to-station team, and that is hard to make work at Koushien.

Ryuukokudai Heian - Pitching C C-, Offense C
Heian's numbers have to be scaled back severely because their only competition was Fukuchiyama Seibi and Shiga Gakuen. So on the pitching side, Ichioka's high walk rate is a big concern, causing a downgrade in their pitching, while their offensive numbers stay as is despite a 0.259 ISO.

Chiben Gakuen - Pitching C+ C, Offense C C-
Given the downgrades to the last 2 teams, Chiben Gakuen has to be downgraded based upon their numbers. Weak competition until Osaka Touin, but at least ace Murakami limits walks. Offensively, there are already holes in the lineup which will become chasms when they get to Koushien.

Shiritsu Wakayama - Pitching C-, Offense C-
No change. The pitching is worse than Chiben Gakuen due to the high walk rates (> 3 per 9) and low K rates and the offense while carrying a 0.205 ISO, again was versus lesser competition with 3 batters hitting below 0.300 though C Okamoto seems to trade BA for SLG.

Soushi Gakuen - Pitching B+ B, Offense C+ C
Ace Takada gets downgraded due to the lesser competition he faced but still gets a good grade due to his durability. Doesn't mean he can last all the way to the end should they survive and advance, but he's still more than serviceable.

The offense has holes at the bottom, and the lower BA along with just 1 run in their 2 losses is a red flag and thus the downgrade in their offensive grade.

Nanyou Kougyou - Pitching C-, Offense C (grade up for clutch in close games)
Despite some good wins, it's amazing how Nanyou Kougyou could survive with their K rate as a team hovering around 5. It's doubly impressive that they had a triple slash of 0.281/0.341/0.360 and scored 4 or more runs in all their victories. I have to leave the grades as is because the burden of proof is on them to show that success with their low K rates is possible and offensively there has to be something that is allowing them to score runs despite the poor numbers.

Kaisei (Shimane) - Pitching C-, Offense C- D+
I will give some credit to Kaisei for facing the teams they could have faced in-prefecture, but the big negator is their complete falling flat in their 2 losses hurting them on both sides of the ball. And even more so now that you see a line of 0.255/0.299/0.423 - very few walks, and XBH that may be negated against better defenses.

Takamatsu Shougyou - Pitching B+, Offense B+
Takamatsu Shougyou maintains their ranking as one of the top ranked pitching staffs in the tournament despite a low K rate that would normally give it a C/C+ ranking. This is because they faced top tier competition throughout. Eimei in the prefecturals, Ikeda, Imabari Nishi, Saibi and Meitoku Gijyuku in the super-regionals, and Sapporo Dai-ichi, Osaka Touin and Tsuruga Kehi in the Meiji Jingu tournament. So you can actually take the team's numbers at face value, and that 0.306/0.356/0.489 line looks good. The bottom of the lineup isn't world-beating, but at least you won't be counting outs like sheep.

You can call them contenders, but I think until they take down a major powerhouse at Koushien, you can't really go out and call them favorites.

Meitoku Gijyuku - Pitching C-, Offense C-
You may be wondering. How can you say Takamatsu Shougyou has a strong resume, when this school gets a poor grade?

It's all about brand name.

Schools that face powerhouses generally get away with more. Sure they have more talent, but even when behind all they have to do is start to mount a rally and the other team may fold thinking that this is the same thing, different year.

In addition, they get dinged because while they did face some named competition in prefecture, they wound up playing Tosa again in the super-regionals (which doesn't add to their resume), barely beat Nitta (who was a good team decades ago, but is now is above-average at best), and were soundly defeated by Takamatsu Shougyou. Ace Nakano walks as many batters as he strikes out, and offensively the team's 0.329 BA when adjusted for level of competition projects poorly.

Tosa - Pitching C- D+, Offense C- D-
It's a sad state of affairs when I had talked about Shikoku having the better teams for the floating bid compared to Chuugoku, and Tosa's numbers aren't very good. In fact, of their 7 games, their keys revolve around a defeat against the 21st century invitee Shoudoshima, and 2 losses to Meitoku Gijyuku...

Ace Osaki is the only serviceable pitcher, and the offense has 3 batters hitting under 0.200... and 2 close to 0.100...

Shuugakukan - Pitching B, Offense B
Shuugakukan depends on their pitching depth. While it's a small sample size, Arimura despite pitching the most innings as the ace is much more of a contact pitcher, whereas Taura, Horie and Nakai deliver the K's. But the extended depth should help them although Taura gives up way too many walks for his team's own good.

Offensively, the team does have a weak bottom of the lineup. But the rest of the lineup looks pretty strong, especially Kuki Ryuuhei (九鬼 隆平) who hit 0.511 with a ridiculous 0.711 ISO. The team itself had a 0.263 ISO.

Kaisei (Nagasaki) - Pitching C+ C, Offense C+
Kaisei has the same thing that Shuugakugan has - several usable pitchers that could be called upon. The only difference being that none of them sport high K rates, so it's really dependent on the defense. While even average depth is always a plus, the aforementioned K rates are a yellow flag.

Offensively the bottom of the lineup suffers though at least ace Haruta knows enough to draw a walk instead of trying to leverage his 0.133 BA.

Kagoshima Jitsugyou - Pitching C-, Offense C
Kajitsu's pitching appears on the verge of imminent collapse. What else can you say when the main reliever strikes out 17 and walks 15 in 19.2 innings? Ace Maruyama has an acceptable walk rate, but gives up way too many baserunners to ever feel comfortable.

Miyashita-kantoku utilizes more of his bench than others, so much so that there are times where both of his catchers are in the game! But they both hit well, so as long as the defense suffers I guess it's ok. And if Kuki's numbers were video game like, there's Wataya Itsuki (綿屋 樹) who hit 0.621 with a 0.793 ISO. It's hard to lockdown the weaknesses in the lineup because I think the lineup changes based upon the game, but there are batters who have gotten in work that are feckless at the dish.

Nichinan Gakuen - Pitching C, Offense C-
As you can see, these teams have weaknesses in different areas. Compared to the last 2 teams, the team offensively can't compare - 4 players batting under 0.300 is a problem despite an ISO of 0.234.

Pitching, the team is very, very stingy when giving up walks with ace Moriyama and Minoo just walking a shade above 1 per 9 innings. The defense will be put to work, though hopefully without being stressed to the max.

Kamaishi - Pitching D+ D, Offense D+ D-
There just isn't much to say here. Ace Iwama doesn't even have a K rate of 3, and unless he has a trick up his sleeve there's no way he will be able to hold out against any team. The offense is even worse, hitting a 0.293/0.344/0.370 line as a team.

Nagata - Pitching B-, Offense C- D
This team is probably in for ace Sonoda alone. A very high K rate (11.4) and a minuscule BB rate (1.56) is always a plus, even if you scale it back. He more than likely will hold his own. Trouble is the offense will probably do very little for him, so unless they can win 1-0 they're one-and-done.

Shoudoshima - Pitching C, Offense D+ D-
I don't understand how this team could have given Takamatsu Shougyou their only loss in the prefectural final unless they got extremely lucky, because Takamatsu Shougyou appeared to take the game seriously starting their ace.

Shoudoshima's roster was short even for aki taikai purposes (17), and all but 7 ABs went to the front 9. Despite the heart of the order hitting 0.420/0.459/0.565, the rest of the team hit 0.150/0.213/0.188... with 2 batters hitting a minuscule 0.048.

I guess I have to give their ace credit? Hasegawa managed to keep Takamatsu Shougyou to just 1 run, but he's pretty much the opposite of a 3 true outcomes pitcher. He barely strikes out batters, almost never walks anyone, and the ball winds up in play. And yet he sports a 1.05 WHIP.

Reviewing the field - 21st Century Teams

It seems a bit unfair to lump these schools into 1 post, but in general most 21st century teams are there for their cup of coffee and not much else. It's kinda the reason why these bids were created for the most part. There have been some exceptions, the most recent in 2009 when Rifu went to the semifinals defeating both Narashino and Waseda Jitsugyou before losing to Hanamaki Higashi, but in general these teams either are one-and-done or two-and-done.

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Kamaishi (Iwate) - lost in 2nd round of Tohoku Super-Regionals

Certainly selected because they were devastated by the tsunami back in 2011, Kamaishi was on life-support right off the bat after being blown out by Takada in their first game 10-1. They fought back through the repechage (note that in the fall tournaments it isn't necessarily a single elimination tournament in the prefecturals. Some have round-robins, other like here in Iwate have repechages in the regionals) to reach the prefecturals. And while they struggled at times against no-name competition, they reached the finals where they tried to hold firm against Moriokadai Fuzoku, but fell 6-3. They did the same against Tohoku tying the game at 2 with a squeeze in the top of the 9th and held on for 2 more inning before being sent off 3-2 in the 12th.

Iwama Dai (岩間 大) is the team's ace, but I don't have any info on his pitching. The stats from the two losses don't inspire confidence though. In 19.2 IP he had given up 18 H, 5 ER, 3 K, 6 BB.

Offensively, again with small sample size, there were some batters that did have success in their two losses to known squads. Not surprisingly, 2 of them are their 3-4 hitters, 3B Kikuchi Yuunosuke (菊池 勇之介) and 1B Aranuma Yasuhiro (新沼 康大). At the bottom of the order is 2B Ishizaki Masutomo (石崎 仁鵬) who laid down that squeeze.

But while they were able to at least hang tough against better competition, it's still not against strong competition relatively speaking and as a result I don't think their prospects are that good.

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Nagata (Hyogo) - lost in quarterfinals of Hyogo prefecturals

Nagata performed adequately during their fall run, reaching the

Nagata may have the best prospects of all the 21st century teams if only for one thing - their ace Sonoda Ryousuke (園田 涼輔) who is garnering attention from pro scouts. Discounting for local stadiums' radar guns he probably throws in the mid-to-upper 130s with a changeup to go with the standard slider-curve combo. In every game he pitched in he averaged at least a K/IP including 9 in their loss to Shinkou Gakuen.

The only problem is that he has to be on point all the time. There is no mention of anyone on offense for the team, and worse yet, in 5 of their 7 games they scored just 2 runs, and in another they scored just 3. This against lesser competition raises a red flag because you can't win if you can't score.

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Shoudoshima (Kagawa) - lost in 1st round (quarterfinals) of Shikoku Super-Regionals

Tosa has Shoudoshima to thank for getting invited because if the JHBF was going to take Shoudoshima as a 21st century team, Tosa had to be included.

Shoudoshima also won the Kagawa prefecturals, defeating upper-average teams such as Marugame and Jinsei Gakuen, and actually handed Takamatsu Shougyou their only loss in the fall (in 12 innings!!). However, that success did not translate as they lost their opening game of the super-regionals 4-3 to the aforementioned Tosa.

Their ace, and only pitcher, is Hasegawa Taiku (長谷川 大矩). There is no info on him, but the stats against Takamatsu Shougyou and Tosa have him at 20 innings, with 10 Ks and 0 walks.

That's right, zero, zip, zilch, nada. To quote Michio Kaku, "it means nothing".

It blows my mind.

Okay, enough commercial references...

A 0 walk performance means that he has to be around the zone a lot. So much so that the defense will surely be busy all the time. And with poorer K numbers than his counterpart Sonoda at Nagata, the margin of error certainly is smaller. Though with 16 hits in that same 20 innings, he seems to avoid getting batted around at least

Offensively they seem to be as potent as Nagata, scoring 2 or 3 runs in 4 of their 6 games. Furthermore, Hasegawa is their #3 hitter and along with C Uematsu Hiroki (植松 弘樹) and 1B Ishikawa Susumu (石川 生強) consist the heart of the lineup, and of course where they have any success (the other members in the lineup were a combined 3-47 in those 2 games!!).

With black holes surrounding the lineup and a pitcher who goes mainly to contact, Shoudoshima is skating on about the thinnest of ice.

Reviewing the field - Tosa (Kochi)

Tosa got the 3rd bid as the Meiji Jingu bid thanks to Takashima Shougyou's victory. And even though Saibi seemed to be more likely to receive that bid, because if Shoudoushima would receive a 21st century bid, Tosa needed to get in somehow.

Now, to be fair, Tosa's 2 losses both were against Meitoku Gijyuku. Once in the prefectural semifinal where they were shutout 5-0, and then again in the super-regional semifinal 4x-3 in 10 innings. That's a marked improvement in just 3 weeks time.

It looks like ace Ozaki Genshou(?) (尾崎 玄唱) is their primary pitcher, with the only reliever being LF Yoshikawa Shuusuke (吉川 周佑)?! Furthermore, he wasn't trusted in the big games versus Meitoku Gijyuku - probably needs to stick to his day job as the only solid hitter out of the 3-hole.

The problem is that Meitoku Gijyuku would appear to be in a rebuilding phase and has managed to work their way to senbatsu. So while Tosa has moved on level terms, it's not as impressive as it might have been in prior years - which means that their prospects are no better sadly.

Reviewing the field - Shiritsu Wakayama (Wakayama)

This is what I don't understand about Shiritsu Wakayama getting the bid. Somehow they got a direct path to the 2nd stage of the Wakayama fall prefecturals - which I don't understand because they didn't do all that well prior. Yet they won their 3 games against below-average competition to win the Wakayama prefecturals, defeated a Heijyou squad that was less than spectacular, and was run over by Akashi Shougyou once they had to relieve Akaba Riku (赤羽 陸).

And that's a problem, because in all their games, Akaba never went the full 9. Instead Kurisu Takumi (栗栖 拓巳), who had been the ace, would enter the game.

Even weirder, it's Akaba that has more information than Kurisu (though it's still very little). Reports have him hitting 140, but it's probably more like mid 130s. I know he has a slider, but not much else. Neither he nor Kurisu strikes out a lot of batters, and both are prone to give up walks. This does not make for a good combination.

Offensively the team is even harder to project. They didn't face a quality team at all in their 5 games in the fall, most ended in blowouts, but in their final game they were limited to just 3 hits against an Akashi Shougyou team whose pitching doesn't grade out well - all of which proves to be problematic. You could point to the middle of the order, as the 3-4-5 hitters of CF Shichino Ryou(?) (七野 怜), 1B Kitajima Ryou (北嶋 稜), and RF Kinoshita Kouji (木下 康司). But on the overall, the prospects for Shiritsu Wakayama to make a run of any kind seems rather dim.