Shiga and Iwate host high school baseball draws and friendly matches

On June 23, the 108th Shiga Prefecture high school baseball tournament draw was held at the Kurashiki Arts and Culture Hall in Ritto City. The event set the match‑ups for the upcoming prefectural tournament, noting the participation of two schools that qualified for the national spring tournament.

Shiga Gakuen, a local high school, announced its aim to play its own style of baseball as it prepares for the summer Koshien for the first time in two years.

In Iwate Prefecture, the renovated baseball field at Yahabatake City’s General Sports Park hosted friendly matches on June 20‑21. Four strong high‑school teams—Chiben‑Wakayama, Tsuruoka‑Higashi, Hachinohe Gakuin‑Kousei, and Morioka‑Daiho—competed, with Morioka‑Daiho winning 2‑1. After the games, a baseball clinic involved about 80 youths from six local youth teams, who practiced catching and fielding with the high‑school players. The upgraded field opened to the public on July 1 and is slated to host a national soft‑ball tournament in August.