News & Events

At the Nippon Professional Baseball Draft held in Tokyo on October 26, UEDA Kyuto (4th year in the School of Global Japanese Studies), the captain of the baseball team, was named in the first round by the Chiba Lotte Marines, ISHIHARA Yuki (4th year in the School of Commerce) in the third round by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and the vice-captain MURATA Kenichi (4th year in the School of Commerce) in the fourth round by the Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS.

At the baseball club’s Student-Athlete’s Residence in Fuchu, Tokyo crowded with many reporters, the three nominees attended a press conference with General Manager YAMAMOTO Yuichiro (professor at the School of Commerce) and Head Coach TANAKA Takehiro.

The three athletes expressed their joy at the nomination and their aspirations after joining the professional teams: “I was nervous until I was nominated, but now I’m relieved. I want to be a player who can be supported by fans by riding on my strength in competitive batting on the professional stage” (UEDA); “I’m really happy that I was nominated, and want to be a pitcher who can play in the first team by striking out on a straight line” (ISHIHARA); and “With so many great players, I will focus on the number of wins and fulfill my roles” (MURATA).

Finally, members of the baseball club tossed the three players into the air in celebration. The players seemed to take pleasure in the enthusiastic encouragement from the members.

This draft nomination marks the longest record of the 14th year in a row that a player from Meiji has been picked in the draft.

TAKASHIMA Taito (currently Oji Paper, graduated from the School of Law in 2022), an alum of the Meiji University Junko Baseball Club, was named in the fifth round by Orix Buffaloes.   

≪Japanese version≫