Yamaha, the defending champion in the 51st Japan Amateur Baseball Championship, will face Nissan Motor in the first round as it seeks consecutive titles. The matchup was confirmed following the draw held at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka.
The draw for the first-round matchups in the 51st Japan Amateur Baseball Championship was held in Osaka, determining the matchups for the 32 participating teams. Defending champion Yamaha will face Nissan Motor in its opening game. The game is scheduled to be the second game on 1 November.
Yamaha manager Nobuhara Naoki (申原 直樹) described Nissan Motor as a young, highly mobile team and called for a game in which Yamaha shows no weakness. He expressed his intention to maintain the team’s momentum on the national stage and put together a good game in pursuit of consecutive titles.
Nissan Motor’s entire roster is made up of young players, who were praised for their speed on the basepaths and for their strong understanding of the game under manager Ito Yuki (伊藤 祐樹), an accomplished tactician. The manager said the team would need to play without showing the opposition any weakness in order to avoid defeat.
The tournament will be held at Kyocera Dome Osaka, with the matchups confirmed following the draw. Yamaha will enter the tournament seeking consecutive titles, while Nissan Motor will compete on the national stage aiming to build on its revival last season.