In October 2006, Maeda posed for this magazine’s photographer and was dubbed “Kuwata II,” having been on the bench since the summer of his freshman year at PL Gakuen. He played in the Koshien Tournament twice, once in the summer of his freshman year and again in the spring of his junior year. He was the ace of the team and was also an excellent hitter, hitting a total of 27 home runs in high school.