I closely watched the Shinsegae Emart Cup National High School Baseball Championship (3/24-4/11). After the 2023 WBC defeat, I looked into it in the process of finding the cause of ‘where it went wrong’.
It seemed like it wasn’t just me. In the meantime, high school baseball was not the subject of interest, but many baseball players paid attention to this E-Mart Cup competition.
The head coach, coaches, and players of the participating high school team, who were the subject of interest, welcomed it very much. The baseball world was only pointed out for the WBC madness, but it is also meaningful that they started looking for a positive answer in Ambaseball, which is the root.
In the meantime, domestic high school baseball tournaments have been difficult with tight support from associations, federations, and organizers. It was a world apart from the high school baseball tournament in the United States and Koshien in Japan. The game was played at a baseball field at the level of social baseball. I understand that the situation is unavoidable due to the lack of infrastructure.
Even so, when I went to the field of Ama Baseball, I was also very frustrated. It was frustrating to see Ama players dreaming of becoming pros playing on a rough ground. It was an environment that caused injuries and reduced performance.
However, the Shinsegae Emart Bae was a little different. Even if the preliminaries were held in the provinces, the round of 16 was held at Mokdong Stadium, and the finals were held at the first team stadium in the KBO League. It was also impressive to see the congratulations explode after winning and wearing the champion jumper. Like winning a professional team championship, the meticulous consideration stood out.
My heart, as I watched it on TV, was also touched. Many players probably thought, ‘I want to stand there too’. Professional stadiums are a sure motivator for young players.
Deoksu High School coach Jeong Yun-jin, the winning team, said, “It will remain as a good memory for me to play at the professional stadium of my dreams. It motivates me to work hard and play in a professional stadium in the future. I am grateful to owner Jeong Yong-jin and SSG officials.”
Coach Choi Jae-ho of Gangneung High School, the runner-up team, said, “It seems to be memorable for our players. It is the romance of all high school players to step on a professional pitch in the finals. It is an honor to come and play at the ballpark of a professional champion team.”
Perhaps the goal of the players is one. Standing on a professional baseball field, a professional stage. Poor grounds and ballparks without spectators do not motivate players. The same goes for college baseball right before the exam. There is only talk of “we have to save”, and they don’t know where to start, and they are in a state of neglect.
In such a situation,안전놀이터 the Shinsegae Emart Bae suggests many things. Many contest officials should reflect. It’s because Shinsegae E-Mart Bae shows what they couldn’t do.
The size of this competition is likely to continue to grow. Because it is becoming a stage where players want to play. It also has the most prize money. The total prize money is 100 million won, with 50 million won for the winning team, 30 million won for the runner-up team, and 10 million won for the semifinals.
Even if other competitions cannot match its scale and sincerity, you should definitely watch, learn, and exert yourself.