Daegu Sangwon High School, which boasts star players such as Lee Man-soo, Yang Jun-hyuk, and Ahn Ji-ji, defeated Kyungshin High School to take first place in the Daegu Regional Qualifier of the 2023 No Brand Bae High School Alumni Baseball Competition.
Organized by the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) and sponsored by E-Mart, the tournament was created last year with the goal of expanding the popularity of baseball as a lifestyle sport, promoting socialization among alumni and supporting baseball clubs. This year, more than 40 schools from across the country are participating, and the competition is expected to be hotly contested.
Sangwon won the first game against Kyungpook National University 7-5 at Daegu Citizens Baseball Stadium on April 2. Yang Jun-hyuk, the No. 4 designated hitter, went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, while Ahn Ji-eun, the No. 3 first baseman, had a hit, an RBI and a run scored. Second pitcher Lim Cheon-soo earned the win with four innings of one-run ball.안전놀이터
Former Samsung Futures head coach Sung Joon Sung pitched two scoreless innings as the fourth pitcher for Gyeongbuk High School, but his performance was overshadowed by his team’s loss. Jang Eun-soo struggled at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a three-run home run to left field, three RBI and two runs scored.
Sangwongo got off to a good start with a sweep of Gyeongbuk High School, and went on to win 10-4 against Kyungshin High School. Yang Jun-hyuk had three hits and Ahn Man-ji hit a triple to lead the offense.
Sangwongo is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and is aiming to win the tournament. In particular, the alumni association’s excitement reached a peak on April 4 when the Sangwongo baseball team, led by coach Kim Seung-kwan, defeated Kyungpook National University to advance to the quarterfinals of the Bonghwangdae High School Baseball Tournament.
The game between Bukkyul High School and Gongju University, which attracted attention as a showdown between the top baseball schools in the Chungnam region, was won by Bukkyul High School 11-6. Outfielder Lim Jae-chul, who has played for Lotte, Samsung, Hanwha, Doosan, and LG, had one hit and one RBI, including a double.
In the Seoul Regional Qualifiers, Northeast High defeated Sunlin Internet High 8-2 and Gyeonggi High defeated Seongnam High 18-1. In the second game of the preliminary round, Northeast High and Gyeonggi High faced off, with Gyeonggi High coming out on top with a 12-3 victory.
In the Busan Regional Qualifier, Busan Go won a 17-2 cold game victory over Dongseong Go, Busan Gonggo defeated Kaesong Go 10-3, and Dongnae Go won comfortably against Yangjeong Go 8-3.
In the other Gyeongbuk regional qualifier, Dongji defeated Pochul High School 11-7.
Meanwhile, some of the tournament’s games at Bukil High School Baseball Field and the final scheduled for Gocheok Sky Dome will be broadcast on Spotify, and the tournament’s prizes – 30 million won for the winning team, 15 million won for the runner-up, and 7 million won each for the third-place teams – will be given to support the development of alma mater baseball.
The tournament will feature eight teams from Seoul, seven teams from Busan, four teams from Daegu, one team from Gwangju, three teams from Incheon, two teams from Daejeon, one team from Ulsan, one team from Gangwon, two teams from Chungnam, two teams from Gyeongbuk, one team from Gyeongnam, two teams from Jeonbuk, and six teams from Jeju. The Jeju teams are all regular high schools.