Golden Talents Set to Shine at Summer Koshien
Golden Eggs" in the Summer Koshien Tournament in 2025 (Part 1)
August will be even hotter!
Kentai Takasaki’s W ace/Kyoto Kokusai’s ace left arm
Back on the mound after surgery — Left-handed pitcher Ryuzuki Takeru Sato of Kendai Takasaki
Ryuzuki Takeru Sato (3rd year), a left-handed pitcher for Kendai Takasaki (Gunma), peered into the author’s smartphone shortly after a post-game interview.
On the “Virtual High School Baseball” live stream, Yokohama (Kanagawa) was facing Hiratsuka Gakuen in the bottom of the ninth inning, trailing 3–4. Yokohama had previously defeated Kendai Takasaki in the semifinals of this spring’s Senbatsu tournament.
“Last fall at the Kanto Tournament, I was cheering from the stands, and in the Senbatsu I only appeared as a pinch hitter. I want to face Yokohama again at Koshien and this time compete on the mound as a pitcher,” Sato said.
When Yokohama’s captain and cleanup hitter Yota Abe (3rd year) delivered a walk-off hit, Sato nodded in approval and returned to his interview.
In last spring’s Senbatsu, Sato had posted a remarkable 0.00 ERA, becoming the celebratory tossed-in-the-air pitcher. About a year ago, however, he injured his left elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery (ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction), preventing him from pitching at this year’s Senbatsu.
This summer, Sato returned to the mound under a 30-pitch limit during the Gunma Tournament’s third round and recorded a personal-best-tying fastball of 147 km/h.
“Since my surgery last summer, I’ve steadily followed my rehab plan, but even I was surprised to reach 147 km/h,” he said.
The author previously interviewed Dr. Kozo Furushima, who performed Sato’s surgery. According to Dr. Furushima, some baseball players now undergo Tommy John surgery even at the elementary school level, showing a trend toward younger patients.
However, it is said that no high school baseball player who has undergone Tommy John surgery has yet stood on the Koshien mound. “I want to be a pioneer,” Sato said.
“There are players who struggle with injuries and feel anxious about surgery. I hope I can be someone who gives them courage.”
Genki Ishigaki, the dual ace of Kendai Takasaki
While Sato was focused on his rehabilitation, the other half of Kendai Takasaki’s dual aces, Genki Ishigaki (3rd year), developed into the generation’s representative right-hander. His fastball reaches a maximum of 158 km/h, the fastest among his peers. In an interview with this magazine this spring, he said:
“I want to refine my fastball and eventually aim for a speed that could set a world record.”
The fastest pitch ever recorded by a human is 105.8 mph (170.3 km/h) by Aroldis Chapman. In other words, Ishigaki is targeting 171 km/h. This summer, his performance makes that ambition seem far from empty talk. In the Gunma Tournament final against Maebashi Ikuei, he pitched scoreless innings in the 10th and 11th during a tiebreaker, leading his team to a walk-off victory.
“I believe that only by becoming number one in summer will the next chapter of my life truly open up.”
Kazuki Nishimura, left-handed ace of last summer’s champion, Kyoto Kokusai
Kyoto Kokusai, last summer’s champion, will face the top-seeded Kendai Takasaki in the first game of the eighth day. One year has passed since Kazuki Nishimura (3rd year), the left-handed ace, became the celebratory pitcher after his bunt drove in the go-ahead run. Feeling the weight of expectations, he has spent the past year honing his signature weapon.
“Last year, my seniors showed me the view from the top. This year, I want to show it myself, and I’ve spent this past year preparing to return to Koshien. My greatest weapon is my changeup. I’ve practiced throwing it really slowly, or from outside the strike zone against left-handed hitters. I’ve focused on creating contrast and expanding my variations,” Nishimura said.
Before last year’s Koshien, the earnest 17-year-old had said he wanted to become a civil servant. Now, as Japan’s top left-handed pitcher, his next steps have attracted widespread attention. With offers from many universities, Nishimura is expected to enroll at Chuo University.
As a championship-winning pitcher, he was likely approached by adults with flattering words about turning professional. Still, Nishimura maintained a university only approach.
“My dream isn’t just to become a professional baseball player—it’s to become a first-round draft pick in professional baseball. To achieve that, I need to grow more at university, and I never wavered in my decision to attend university.”
Riku Takabe, left-handed ace and standout talent of Seirei Christopher
One major feature of this summer is the abundance of left-handed talent—and the same holds true for the younger classes.
Alongside Ryosuke Sueyoshi (2nd year) of Okinawa Shogaku, who has already experienced the Koshien mound and throws a max of 150 km/h, another player expected to make a big breakthrough is Riku Takabe (2nd year), the ace of Seirei Christopher. From his time with the Musashi Arashiyama Boys in Saitama, he had already attracted attention from top high school programs.
Takabe took the mound in last year’s Shizuoka Tournament final and narrowly missed victory, shedding tears at the finish. A year later, his max fastball has increased to 147 km/h. His changeup, thrown with a circle formed by his left thumb and index finger, is also a major weapon.
In March of this year, Seirei Christopher played a practice game against Osaka Toin. Scouts visiting to observe draft prospects Haruki Mori and Daito Nakano (both 3rd years) reportedly focused almost exclusively on the left-handed underclassmen from Seirei during the latter part of the 2–2 game.
Seirei made headlines during the 2022 Senbatsu when it was sensationally reported that they had missed selection despite finishing as runners-up in the previous year’s Tokai Tournament. Head coach Toshimasa Uemura and the team were devastated by the disappointment. However, Takabe did not choose to enroll because of the media attention; it was Uemura who first approached him during his first winter in junior high.
“I was captivated by Coach Uemura’s baseball using both the mind and the heart, so I decided to enroll,” Takabe said.
Just before entering 2nd year, the Senbatsu selection controversy occurred, and Takabe joined to prove that Uemura’s baseball philosophy was correct. As the 2nd-year ace, he led the school to its first Koshien appearance in both spring and summer.
“When I first met Coach Uemura, he genuinely said he wanted to aim for Koshien together. It wasn’t just words, and it really struck me. Last year, I could only face batters head-on on the mound, but recently I’ve learned to use my breaking balls and pitch more strategically,” he said.
Deciding on university at an early stage has also become a hallmark of today’s notable high school players, and Takabe is no exception.
“I don’t know which university yet (laughs), but eventually, I want to go pro.”
From the August 22/29, 2025, issue of “FRIDAY”
Interview and text by： Yuji Yanagawa (non-fiction writer) PHOTO： Yuji Yanagawa (Nishimura, Takabe)
