“I want to be a national team player like my sisters!”
Small stature, somewhere between 130 and 40 centimeters, small voice, fern-like hands. But he throws a fastball with ease. Even the ‘national team members’ who were watching exclaimed, “Wow!”.
On the 17th, the Women’s Baseball Festival 2023 was held at the Cheonan Living Sports Baseball Field. The highlight of the day was a joint practice game between the Korean national women’s baseball team and girls playing in the Little Baseball Team and Junior Women’s Baseball Team.
The teams were divided into blue and white teams with a mix of national team members and little and junior girls. The starting pitcher for the white team was Sejong Angels pitcher Sun Ju-ha (6th grade). National pitcher Kim Bomi, who served as the day-to-day manager of the white team, boldly put the youngest player on the mound. “There should be more rising stars than falling stars,” Kim smiled.
Seon Ju-ha, who took the mound to the same cheers as her older sisters, pitched well under the careful guidance of her teammate, national catcher Lee Bitna. The shy Sun Joo-ha said, “I was so nervous throwing the ball in front of my national team sisters. I will continue to play baseball and become a member of the national team.”
The Blue Team started off strong. From the start, they pushed the white team hard. After scoring a large number of runs, the team brought in Choi Ji-an (grade 4) from Seongdong-gu Little Baseball Team and Son Dan-ah (grade 5) from Gwangsan-gu Little Baseball Team.
Choi Ji-an, who played hard with her tiny hands and feet, said, “It’s so much fun. I want to come again,” she said with a big smile. Son Dan-ah is related to Kia Tigers outfielder Choi Hyung-woo. She often plays with Choi’s son. “My goal is to play baseball harder and become a national team member!” exclaimed Son Dan-ah, who often attends KIA Tigers games.
They grow up to become members of the Korean national baseball team. There’s a precedent. Choi Dre (16), an infielder who won a bronze medal at the Asian Cup (BFA) in Hong Kong when she was first selected for the women’s national baseball team in 2023, said, “When I was a little girl and I saw my older sisters on the national team, I just thought it was so exciting and cool. I wanted to be there and wear the Taeguk-marked jersey, but now that I’ve traveled to the international tournament in it, it’s a new feeling.”
Choi Dre said, “There are many young girls who already have national team qualities. (Sun) Ju-ha is in the sixth grade, and I was surprised that the ball was so fast. I think I’m better than I was at that age. I’m good enough now, so I hope I can continue to play baseball and play for the national team together,” she smiled.
The South Korean women’s national baseball team won the bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Cup (BFA) after defeating Hong Kong on the first day. 토토사이트 The younger siblings are encouraged by their older sisters’ performance. “We kept checking the Asian Cup results,” Sun Ju-ha and Son Dan-ah smiled shyly.
“We kept checking the results of the Asian Cup. They were worried that a poor showing would hinder the promotion of women’s baseball. Fortunately, they made it to the Super Round and qualified for the WBSC, which will be held in Canada and Japan in early August. The players lightened up and played a fun practice game with the young girls.
National pitcher Kim Bomi said, “First of all, the girls are so cute. I feel it every year, but every year I see new promising players. So I feel that the future of women’s baseball is very bright.” “If I want to play for the national team with Ju-ha (who is now in the sixth grade), I will have to reverse my decision to retire from the national team after this year,” Kim laughed heartily. 메이저사이트주소
National catcher Lee Bait-na said, “Every year, the girls are getting better, but the age group is getting younger and more girls are starting to play baseball. The future is bright.” National infielder Lee Ha-hyung said, “When you start playing baseball at such a young age, you have good fundamentals. I envy them. When I was younger, I never thought about playing baseball. I hope they will continue to receive support and never let go of baseball.”