Baseball Club

The Baseball Club was founded in 1920 and has a long history. The club belongs to the Tohto University Baseball League. League games are played in the spring and fall. The club practices hard 5 days in a week in an effort to finish at the top.

Practices are held 3 days during the week and also on weekends. Two days during the week, the club holds morning practices focused on batting at a field on the Ookayama Campus. One other day and on weekends, the club mainly practices relay plays and defense at a field in Tamagawa Ryokuchi Park. The club sometimes plays practice games on the weekends. Once league play starts, the club plays a busy schedule of games.

In recent years, the club has been actively collecting data for use in game strategy. The players are also actively engaging in physical training. In their free time between classes, they also do voluntary training such as weight training in the on-campus training room.

Many of the Baseball Club members were on baseball teams in middle school or high school, but some members started playing baseball for the first time in university. There is no strict relationship between the younger and older members of the club. All of the members are good friends, and they practice hard while enjoying baseball together.

A key feature of the club is that members play a prominent role in both practice and management. Members have their own roles and share responsibilities such as scheduling practices, planning game strategies, reserving practice locations, arranging practice games with other universities, and managing club expenses. Instead of simply following a preset practice plan, the responsibility of planning their own practices helps to clarify the purpose of practices and raise the awareness of the members. By thinking and acting on their own, the members create their own style of baseball.

Another important feature is that the leadership roles such as manager and coach are held by older students who have entered graduate school. This system is unique to the Tokyo Tech Baseball Club. After the spring league is over, the coaching staff is replaced with students who are one year younger, and the fall league then begins with a new system. The older students who have entered graduate school are reliable supporters who help the younger students with daily practice. These older students have inherited the ideas and systems that have been passed down from one generation to another in the baseball club. The current members are close in age to the coaching staff, having practiced and competed as players until recently. This facilitates interaction between players and coaches, thereby creating an environment where club members work together as a team while maintaining close communication.

The team assistants also perform many important functions such as supporting games and practices, keeping score, and helping with training camps.

In addition to league games, the club also participates in national public universities tournaments. Many games are played each year, so there are many opportunities to compete. Playing in these official games is a wonderful chance for players to improve their skills.

Getting hits, blasting home runs, making outstanding defensive plays, and being selected as a player on the league all-star nine are some of the most exciting things in baseball. At the same time, there is a great sense of fulfillment and accomplishment for the players when they see that their practices are producing results and that each player is able to make plays that they could not make before. In fact, instead of using pitching machines for batting practice, the team tried to simulate actual game conditions as much as possible. For example, they had pitchers throw batting practice. This increased the team's batting average and led to more wins. In this way, the success of practices planned by club members is satisfying, and it helps increase motivation toward upcoming practices and games.

In addition to practices and games, the entire team works to improve their skills at training camps before league games. After league games, all the players congratulate each other on their efforts.

Twice a year, the club holds alumni meetings, which are also an opportunity to report on the results of league play. Through games against alumni and eating together, younger students deepen their relationships with older students who look after them on a routine basis.

Also, as a graduation event held each year in January, each senior plans a trip which incorporates the requests of underclassmen. This is a "mystery trip" in which the trip itinerary and travel companions are kept secret until the day of the trip. Underclassmen gather at the meeting place without knowing any details of the trip. An elaborate trip is planned every year, and underclassmen look forward to the trips with great excitement.

In preparation for games, the club concentrates on efficient practice through trial and error. Practices are held about 5 days a week in addition to schoolwork.

Beginners are welcome. If you have the slightest interest in playing hardball, want to have fun playing baseball, or dream of playing in a big venue like Meiji Jingu Stadium, please feel free to come watch one of our practices. We hold open practices in March and April, and visitors are also welcome anytime outside of these months.

During your valuable time at the university, please spend your time doing things that you enjoy and make the most of every moment. Your passion can go anywhere—but if it's baseball, then let's play baseball together!

• Club name
  : Baseball Club
• Established
  : 1920
• No. of members
  : 16 players, 3 team assistants (as of October 2023)
• Practice days (locations)
  : Mondays and Thursdays (Ookayama Campus field), Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays (Tamagawa ryokuchi park field)

Published: October 2023