Baseball class
December 7, 2025
On December 7th, the “NX Group x Samurai Japan Baseball Class” was held at NIPPON EXPRESS Urawa Ballpark in Urawa Ward, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture.
Approximately 100 boys and girls, including some who had never played baseball, gathered on a sunny day for baseball. In addition to Samurai Japan Top Team manager Hirokazu Ibata, head coach Makoto Kaneko, and infield defense and base running coach Eishin Bon as instructors, players and staff from the Nippon Express baseball team, who also participated in this summer’s intercity baseball tournament, also participated.
This event was sponsored by NIPPON EXPRESS Holdings Co., Ltd., a diamond partner of Samurai Japan, and was held for the 7th time with the purpose of “contributing to the local community as a Samurai Japan Diamond Partner.” Based on the NX Group’s corporate message of “We Find the Way,” the theme was to convey the importance and mindset of taking on challenges.
When Coach Ibata and his colleagues appeared at the opening ceremony, cheers erupted from not only the children but also the parents leading the children. Coach Ibata encouraged them, saying, “(The instructors) have a lot to offer. If there’s anything you don’t understand, please actively ask.”
In the baseball class, participants were divided into four groups and rotated through four categories: defense, batting, catching, and training, and exercised for about two hours. The practice was led by the players of the Nippon Express Baseball Club, with the Samurai Japan manager and coach providing advice.
Coach Ibata was in charge of defense and practiced the basic movements of catching ground balls. The children chased the white ball with abandon, following the advice, “Rather than opening your glove and going to catch it, try to put the ball in your glove.” He also gave detailed lessons to those who had no experience in baseball, and had a big smile on his face when he saw the children playing hard. The last group grabbed a bat and knocked, and the participating children responded with loud voices.
Coach Kaneko, who was in charge of batting, focused on two themes: “not letting your body flow after swinging the bat” and “getting the ball back to the center,” and guided the players to improve their skills with enthusiastic guidance using gestures during practice using the tee stand. Coach Bon, who was in charge of playing catch, also held the ball himself, showed examples, and taught each player with compassion.
Afterwards, a talk show was held by the instructors, and when asked about their childhood, they commented, “Whether it was baseball or fishing, I always thought about how to do well.” (Head Coach Kaneko) “I watched my seniors and played baseball just with the desire to be better than them, to surpass them.” (Coach Bon) “I always tried not to give up in the middle,” (Coach Ibata).
In addition, Toshio Kitagawa, a hard-hitting outfielder from the Nippon Express Baseball Club, said, “I played because I wanted to be a home run hitter.” Hayato Fuji, a right-handed pitcher with the fastest speed of 155 km, who was drafted fifth by the Chiba Lotte Marines in this year’s draft, reflected, “I was short when I was a kid, so I think it’s important to get bigger first.”
The rock-paper-scissors competition with gorgeous prizes was the most exciting event of the day. In front of the baseball bats and uniforms autographed by the instructors, not only the children but also the parents who attended the event came to a close with joy and sadness.
After the event, Coach Ibata looked back and said, “It was great that we were able to convey the joy of baseball to some of the kids who were playing baseball for the first time,” and encouraged the children who participated, saying, “I think you’ll have a lot of opportunities to make a variety of choices from now on, but I hope you don’t give up on what you’ve decided to do and follow through to the end.” Regarding conducting such promotional activities, he said, “I know that the number of baseball players is decreasing, so I would like to carry out steady activities to raise the level of the baseball world even a little.”
Finally, looking toward the 2026 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC™, where he will win consecutive championships, he concluded by saying, “I hope to produce good results and liven up the baseball world.”
