Iki High School Advances to First Senbatsu Koshien

It takes 1 hour and 40 minutes by ferry to Karatsu Port

In other words, Iki High School is where the promising third-year middle school students from Nagasaki Prefecture three years ago have gathered. The rivals of three years ago are now comrades aiming for the distant Koshien. Iwamoto says:

“Even though we went to different elementary and middle schools, we’ve been playing baseball together on the small island of Iki for a long time. I believe our camaraderie and unity are our strengths.”

The reason Iki was recommended for the 21st Century Slot is because, despite the challenges of being on a remote island, they have continuously built their achievements. The baseball field is shared with the track and field and women’s softball teams, and during the autumn tournaments, the team often travels back and forth between Iki and mainland Kyushu. During the summer Nagasaki Tournament, they spend long periods away from the island due to back-to-back games.

Even when having practice matches, they must travel from Iki to Karatsu Port in Saga, where schools from Saga Prefecture are their opponents. Typically, the families bear the costs, and despite taking a ferry to Kyushu, there are times when rain cancels the games, and they have no choice but to return to the island disappointed.

However, the players of Iki High School and Coach Toru Sakamoto (40) don’t seem to view it as a disadvantage. Coach Sakamoto, who is from Hasami High School, a strong public school in Nagasaki Prefecture, shares:

“I believe the disadvantages of being on a remote island can be turned into advantages. For example, it takes 1 hour and 40 minutes by ferry to get to Karatsu Port, but we can use that time for meetings, studying, or even light stretching. Moreover, Iki Island, where there are no soccer teams in the four middle schools, has a strong baseball culture, and the level of play is definitely not low. While there are financial burdens for each family, the disadvantages of being on an island aren’t as significant as people from outside might think.”

With the arrival of 2025, I visited Iki Island to cover the school’s first practice and their visit to the shrine to pray for victory. It took about 70 minutes by high-speed ferry from Hakata Port. At Gono’ura Port, a banner reading “From Iki to Koshien” was displayed.

The good news awaited by the island’s roughly 24,000 residents is expected to arrive soon.