Ina Fighters experience hardball baseball for girls – Nagano Nippo Web

A female elementary school student working on batting practice with a hardball

On the 19th, the Ina Fighters, a junior high school hardball baseball team based in Minamiminowa Village, held a hardball baseball experience event for elementary school girls at Oshiba Park baseball field in the village. It was planned for the first time with the aim of expanding the base of women’s baseball players. Thirteen people, mainly from the Kamiina region, participated and practiced with experienced junior and senior high school students. After confirming the feel of a hardball, I used it as a reference when deciding how to relate to baseball after entering junior high school.

According to the Japan Little Senior Junior High School Baseball Association Shinetsu Federation Women’s Club, there are seven junior high school hardball teams in the Nanshin region, but only three girls are enrolled. Most of the elementary school girls who were involved in softball did not choose to go on to softball when they entered junior high school, which is said to be a “wall” for the women’s club to spread the sport.

The team planned to revitalize women’s baseball by letting elementary school girls who want to continue playing baseball after entering junior high school know that there is a place to start.

In addition to the women’s club, two high schools, Matsumoto Kokusai and Saku Chousei, which have women’s baseball clubs, cooperated in the trial session. Participating children took on the challenge of hardball while receiving advice from coaches and female junior and senior high school students. He practiced defense and batting, and confirmed the feeling of a ball that is faster and heavier than a soft ball.

China Mikoshiba, a sixth-year student at Ina Elementary School, said, “When I hit the ball, the vibration was so strong that it hurt my hand, but it felt good. I don’t have the impression that I’m afraid of the ball. I want to play hardball baseball when I go to junior high school.” showed.

Ken Ozawa, the team’s manager, hoped that “as many people as possible will be interested in hardball baseball.”