Baseball Federation of Japan announces roster for 18U World Cup
The Japanese 18U National Team has been announced for the 18U Baseball World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan from August 30-September 8. 16 players out of the 20 roster are those who played at the 95th Japanese High School National Championship in Koshien which finished on August 22, 2013. The 2013 Championship by 49 regional winners coming out of 3,957 teams in Japan saw Maebashi Ikuei (Gunma Prefecture) won first place in their first competition. The aggregate total attendance for the 14-day tournament was 854,000, an increase of 45,000 over the last year.
4 players in the roster who missed playing in the National Championship are: LHP, Yuki Matsui, Toko Gakuen (Kanagawa), LHP, Kazuto Taguchi, Hiroshima Shinjo (Hiroshima), Catcher, Kenya Wakatsuki, Hanasaki Tokuharu (Saitama) and Shortstop, Ryo Watanabe, Tokai University Kofu (Yamanashi)
The 18U National Team will be managed by Osaka Toin High School head coach, Koichi Nishitani. He will be supported by coaches Muneki Nakai of Hachinohe Gakuin Kosei High School (Aomori) and Tatsuji Shimada of Kochi High School (Kochi).
The team will assemble in Osaka on Sunday, August 25 to start practice, play 2 exhibition games against college teams before leaving for Taichung on Wednesday, August 28.
The 20-man 2013 BFJ National Team roster is as follows:
Position, Name, High School (Prefecture)
RHP, Harumi Iida, Joso Gakuin (Ibaragi)
LHP, Yuki Matsui, Toko Gakuen (Kanagawa)
RHP, Taisuke Yamaoka, Setouchi (Hiroshima)
LHP, Kazuto Taguchi, Hiroshima Shinjo (Hiroshima)
RHP, Yuya Takahashi, Iwakuni Commercial (Yamaguchi)
RHP, Kona Takahashi, Maebashi Ikuei (Gunma)
RHP, Tomohiro Anraku, Saibi (Ehime)
Catcher, Yasuhito Uchida, Joso Gakuin (Ibaragi)
Catcher, Kenya Wakatsuki, Hanasaki Tokuharu (Saitama)
Catcher, Tomoya Mori, Osaka Toin (Osaka)
IF, Satoshi Sonobe, Seiko Gakuin (Fukushima)
IF, Yusei Itsuzaki, Meitoku Gijuku (Kochi)
IF, Nobuyuki Okumura, Nihon University Yamagata (Yamagata)
IF, Takahiro Kumagai, Sendai Ikuei (Sendai)
IF, Haruki Takemura, Urawa Gakuin (Saitama)
IF, Ryo Watanabe, Tokai University Kofu (Yamanashi)
OF, Ryuma Mori, 3rd Junior High of Nihon University (Tokyo)
OF, Yuto Yoshida, Hokusho (Hokkaido)
OF, Seiji Uebayashi, Sendai Ikuei (Sendai)
OF, Akihito Iwashige, Nobeoka Gakuen (Miyazaki)
(Photo：National Champion Maebashi Ikuei and Runners Up Nobeoka Gakuen at Koshien on August 22, 2013 by The Mainichi)
