The story behind Japan’s Youth Baseball5 Asia Cup gold medal - “A lifetime friendship to cherish”

Representing Japan in the Youth Baseball5 Asia Cup for the first time in the tournament’s history, the Japanese national team transitioned from a team that showed nervousness on the field on the first day to one that played with poise and confidence before beating the hosts and defending champions, Chinese Taipei, in three sets and bringing home the championship trophy.

Both Japan manager Taichi Motoike and coach Ayako Rokkaku had participated in previous international Baseball5 tournaments as players - with Rokkaku a WBSC Baseball5 World Cup 2022 MVP - but this was the first time they had assumed the duties of full-time coaches as they led Japan to the II Youth Baseball5 Asia Cup title.

“Technically, we started our training programmes in January, but we were only able to meet and practice over the weekends since they had school to attend,” recalled manager Motoike. “We ran like 10 practices before we came here.”

“It was both of our concerns about how we are going to approach and face these teenagers,” said Rokkaku. “We both thought there would be so many challenges and details when we assemble a team of players in their adolescence. How can we best deal with all the issues, establish smooth communications, and how will they get along with each other, break the ice of gender boundaries, etc.”

“They are fantastic”

“To my surprise, that all my worries are unnecessary,” Motoike added, describing his players as “very open to communication and excellent in absorbing and digesting information provided by us, the coaches. The kids of this generation are amazing, they learn by analogy, too.

“As I watched them over the span of the camps and the games, I became envious that I see them becoming friends for life with these exceptional experiences. The experience and the friendship built upon these are something they will cherish for a lifetime,” Motoike said.

Coach Rokkaku echoed her manager’s assessment: “I must give them credit for their great comprehension and how they communicate with each other tirelessly after getting information from us.

“This process took them from strangers, to become teammates, to championship winning medalists sharing exuberance and tears of joy; and the experience and success of the achievement with the close-bonded friendship will become one of their most important assets in their lives,” Rokkaku added.

MVP Aika Morimoto: “Teammates’ encouragement is the most important.”

Aika Morimoto was named Most Valuable Female Player of the tournament for playing a significant role during the two winning sets of the gold medal game by hitting six RBIs and executing two of the final three outs en route to Japan’s historical winning of the Youth Baseball5 Asia Cup.

“But I was actually down in the first set during the gold medal game,” said Morimoto. She described the reason of feeling down as “I was hard-hit (Chinese Taipei runners hitting the ball towards her) many times in the first set, and while it did hurt, I also started to question myself.”

On the field, Morimoto looked anxious and maybe a bit upset while committing errors. “But my teammates kept encouraging me and telling me that it was all right and that I could make it through and I really appreciated it,” said Morimoto. "Their support made me feel settled and relieved, and it helped me regain my confidence during the remainder of the game.”

In the final inning of the third set, Morimoto fielded the first two throws from the shortstop and registered two outs before the third baseman caught Chinese Taipei’s final out to end the game. “Although it wasn’t me catching that final out, but we were all together throughout the tournament. I really appreciate the encouragement from my teammates. We did it.”