A high school baseball team in Japan is making headlines in the Koshien tournament qualifiers.
The team is called Kofuku Nokagaku Academy. In English, it is referred to as Happy Science Academy, and in kanji, it is written as 幸福の科 Academy. It is known as an educational institution established by a new Buddhist sect.
This school passed the third round of the Koshien tournament regional qualifiers on the 19th, achieving a comeback victory against Goyamani High School with a score of 10-6, and advanced to the semifinals.
The victory on that day was thanks to the crucial performance of the cleanup hitter. After trailing 4-5, they hit a dramatic game-tying solo home run in the ninth inning with one out, and again blasted the ball over the fence in the 11th inning of extra innings, which was 6-6, with one out and the bases loaded. It was a walk-off grand slam.
Notably, the background of this hitter is remarkable. His name is Emil Prensa (3rd year), a transfer student from the Dominican Republic. He can be considered a foreign player.
His father is also a familiar figure to Japanese fans. Domingo Guzman, a right-handed pitcher who played in the past for Chunichi, Yokohama DeNA, and Rakuten (despite the father-son relationship, their surnames differ). During his time with Chunichi in 2004, he recorded 10 wins (5 losses). He left a record of 30 wins and 37 losses over 7 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
The son's 'studies abroad' are also thanks to this connection. A coach from Chunichi (Mori Shigekazu) helped connect him to this school, introducing him to the baseball club coach (Tanahashi Seichiro) with whom he had a friendship.
Left-handed hitter Prensa boasts exceptional power from his 189 cm, 107 kg physique. He has been evaluated as having tremendous destructive power, even capable of hitting home runs out of the park with a low-rebound bat. He has recorded a total of 20 home runs in high school.
His current position is center fielder. However, he is training to become a pitcher like his father. His top speed reaches up to 145 km/h, but he struggles with control. Coach Tanahashi pointed out, 'He often gets strikeouts with his fast balls. However, he frequently issues walks as well. He needs to refine his skills.'
Interestingly, there is another foreign player (international student) at this school. It is starting catcher Uniol Elrin Jaques (185 cm, 91 kg). He is a friend of Prensa and transferred together from the Dominican Republic.
In the lineup, Jaques bats 3rd and Prensa bats 4th. This powerful foreign duo leads the heart of the batting order. Their power exploded together in the second round of qualifiers. Jaques recorded 2 hits and 3 RBIs in 3 at-bats, while Prensa had 3 hits and 4 RBIs in 5 at-bats. They were responsible for 7 of the 9 runs scored by the team. (Score: 9-4)
The two, now in their third year, can manage Japanese fairly well. They sometimes use translation apps, but they find no significant inconvenience in daily life. They enjoy sushi and sashimi and are enthusiastic about cup noodles and convenience store food.
They have experienced cultural shock in Japan. It is the sight of players bursting into tears after losing (after being eliminated). Such a thing is unimaginable in the Dominican Republic.
However, gradually, he began to understand those feelings and now finds himself getting nervous because of it. There is something he says in every interview these days. 'My goal is to advance to the finals held in August and sing my school's anthem at Koshien.'
In Japan, once high school graduates, they become eligible for the draft. Therefore, several professional team scouts have shown interest. It is rumored that Prensa, who possesses exceptional power, is a subject of particular attention.
(There are two other foreign transfer students at Happy Science Academy. Ricardo from the Dominican Republic and Hayashi from Taiwan are both in their second year.)
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