Renovation work is under way at the baseball stadium of Joetsu High School, where artificial turf has been installed. At a ceremony, team members expressed their determination to reach Koshien.
A ceremony was held at the Joetsu High School grounds, where renovation work is under way, to mark the installation of artificial turf at the baseball stadium. Team members also took part in laying the rolls and left messages as a memento.
Renovation of the baseball stadium began in June, replacing the previous dirt surface with artificial turf. The mound and areas around the bases were excluded, and the installation area is approximately 9,000 square meters. By comparison, the soccer field renovated during the same period covers approximately 8,000 square meters.
The contractors were 田中産業 (Dobashi, Joetsu), 長谷川体育施設 (Tokyo) and 積水樹脂 (Tokyo and Osaka). At the ceremony, Yoshinori Tsuboi (坪井義則), executive managing officer and general manager of the Construction Division, spoke of his expectations. Team members helped lay the artificial-turf rolls and wrote messages such as “Pitch at Koshien” and “Sing the school song at Koshien” on their reverse sides as a memento.
Team manager Keito Habuka (羽深慶人) said the players wanted to keep the aspirations of their predecessors in mind and work hard to reach Koshien. Completion is scheduled for the end of November. The field is expected to be used for baseball practice and physical education classes, and will be one of the few artificial-turf grounds in the Joetsu area.