After school, the scenery is unique. A female student swings a baseball bat alone. She raises the ball and hits it hard to send it to the outfield. The problem is that there is no one on the ground. It is also up to you to pick up the ball that has been blown away.
Is she a female baseball player? No. The school does not have a women's team. She is Kakuda, a third grader. She is a manager of the baseball team. In our way, she is the manager of the team. She supports the players and helps with chores such as organizing records. This is a position that can be found in every Japanese high school team. 토토사이트 추천
Wielding the bat alone is a practice. He is learning how to knock (fungo) for defense training of a baseball team.
Another question here is, "Why isn't anyone accepting?" The school doesn't have baseball players. What do you mean? There is a baseball team, but there are no members. It's kind of absurd.
Last year alone, there were six baseball team members. Of course, that number does not make a team. So, they formed a joint team with a neighboring school and participated in the competition. Then, five students graduated. The other one announced his retirement, saying, "I will stop."
Of the 112 students in the school, 69 are male students. They are recruiting new members, but they have no income. In the end, the manager is the only one left. The dismantling of the baseball team was a natural step. But Kakuda endured. "Please wait until we get new students next year. You never know if there will be any applicants among them."
She managed to survive for nine months. She removed weeds, removed stones, and cleaned the baseball team's rooms by herself. She also picked up the knock bat herself to train her junior. She improved her skills by playing one to two boxes (120 to 240) a day. (Kakuda was a softball player until junior high school.)
At this time of year, the Japanese archipelago is heating up. This is because the national high school baseball championship (Summer Koshien) is being held. This year marks the 106th edition already. Currently, the team is in the process of regional preliminaries. The team that passes the qualification round can go to Koshien. It is a stage that everyone dreams of.
NHK, a public broadcaster, is famous for broadcasting all the games live. It once enjoyed immense popularity, surpassing that of professional baseball. The games produced world stars such as Ohtani and Matsuzaka. It is impressive to see the losing players tearfully putting soil on the ground in their pockets.
However, it is getting more difficult. This is because schools such as Hikaminishi High School are increasing. Like Kakuda, there are more places where only managers remain. It is not uncommon for five to six schools to form a combined team due to a lack of baseball team members.
The reason is the low birth rate. In Japan, more and more young people choose not to get married. Even if they get married, the number of families with no children or one child is increasing.
This means a contraction in school sports. According to last year's tally, the number of Japanese high school teams (baseball) stands at 3,818. The number has decreased by 39 from the previous year (2022). The trend has been on the decline for the ninth consecutive year. The number of players is also on the rise. The number of arrows have been declining since then. The figure dropped to 128,357 last year. The figure is a whopping 24.6 percent decrease.
Of course, this phenomenon is similar to ours. A prestigious baseball school is not easy. It is difficult to fill 20 students from elementary school to high school. In particular, provincial cities are more serious. Maintaining the baseball team is getting harder.
In the meantime, there is a slope at Hikaminishi High School. A freshman applied for the baseball team. Finally, one player has been registered.
Now, the baseball team is continuing its career. Kakuda's wish came true. She can't hide her joy, saying, "I'm so relieved. Even if I graduate, the baseball team won't disappear."
I can no longer play the pengo alone. Coach, manager, and rookie staff. The three players went through intense training sessions four days a week. Fortunately, a nearby high school has decided to accept the offer. They are finally able to participate in the regional preliminary round of the Koshien competition.
The first match will be held on the 13th. The record will be written by Kakuda. She is already overwhelmed. This is because she can write her alma mater's name on the list of the combined team.