The mighty Waseda, Tohto's pride Aoyama Gakuin, and two underdogs Tenri and Higashi Nihon : All Japan 2024 Best 4 Teams

The best four teams for the All Japan 2024 semifinal

Today is a break day before heading into the semifinal of All Japan University Baseball Championship 2024 which will be held by tomorrow on Saturday (15/6). After fighting through force and challenges against each opponents, we all now faced with the best four teams of this championship to battle on for the number one title in Japan.

Waseda, after goes through eliminating Kyushu Sangyo University in the quarterfinal, will be facing against the unpredictable Higashi Nihon International University in the next round of semifinal. Meanwhile the mighty of the "Tohto's Battlefield", Aoyama Gakuin University will have to fight against the most overwhelming team of this championship, Tenri University, before reaching on to the final stage.

Waseda University

Waseda had been known so far due to their elite bullpen development and solid batting lineup. And that's what they have been showing ever since this spring season. With their righty ace Ito Tatsuki (伊藤樹), they are merely given any runs at all to their opponent in the Tokyo Big Six league, or even in this tournament. Thanks to their captain and main catcher, Inde Taichi (印出太一), they can manage to eliminate batters with a brilliant leads and commands.

Inde Taichi C

Not only that, their clean-up match are the massacre strategy to take down enemy with massive runs. The most notable power hitter in this list are second-hole Yamagata Shu SS (山縣秀), third-hole Yoshino Tsubasa OF (吉納翼), and fourth-hole Inde Taichi C (印出太一). All of this lineup, also the most highlighted draft candidate this year. With the combination of both solid defense and offense, Waseda would likely had the most high winning-rate of all teams as well.

Aoyama Gakuin University

People said that Tokyo Big 6 is the most popular and powerful league among other college leagues, but then there is Tohto University League, which had the most powerful player prospects that often goes to NPB world and become a famous pro player. Talk about famous pro player, Red Sox Yoshida Masataka was also a player from Aoyama Gakuin University, one of Tohto first division league member teams.

Aoyama Gakuin University, aside from their most least member recruitment in the league, was ahead to hold on their second victories of All Japan this year since 2023. Their central of forces now are vary from defense to offense, such as main catcher Watabe Kai (渡部海), ace Kodama Haruki LHP (児玉悠紀), slugger Nishikawa Misho OF (西川 史礁), and captain Sasaki Tai 3B (佐々木泰).

Nishikawa Misho 3B

Even with the least members among other teams, they had combat specialty when near to the end of the game. On the latest two games against Fukui Koudai University and Chukyo University, Aoyama Gakuin always blows up the game in the most last moment of the game. As it is believed to be manager Ando Yasunori's 'magic', Aoyama Gakuin growing up in a stable stances to focus only to reach the apex of college baseball in Japan.

Higashi Nihon International University

In my opinion, Higashi Nihon were the most unexpected teams that always surprised their spectators in the very last moment of each game in this tournament. Although they always got left by the opponent with a mere lead, somehow they always managed to survive the elimination by catching up to the lead in the last innings, and even turning the table on their opponents with such an unexpected leads against them.

As what we called them an underdog team in this case, yet they also had the most number of participation in this tournament so we couldn't say so. But then, we might have underestimated their force lineup of the team. Because their pillar of defense, pitcher Fujii Yuya RHP (藤井優矢) was showing an impressive stats of pitching with a total of ERA 0.00 in 18 IP (inning pitched), leading the most lower ERA among other pitcher, even from Waseda's ace Ito Tatsuki.

Other than their pitching stuff, the brilliant performance of rookie hitter in the lineup was such a fresh stuff to see in this tournament. Talk about the 'hero' of their team, sophomore Kuroda Yoshinobu 3B (黒田義信) was so amazing in this tournament. Because it is rare to see a rookie player hitting a grand slam in the All Japan tournament. Yes, he was slammed that big homerun against Kibi International University in the first round. And he was really good at batting, leading the second best hitter on his team.

Kuroda Yoshinobu 3B

Since Higashi Nihon will be facing against Waseda, there would be a reunion between Kuroda and Waseda's sophomore pitcher Kouzai Kazuki LHP (香西一希) since they are ex-teammates back in their Kyushu Kokusai high era in 2022.

Tenri University

Here is, the most awaited team in semifinal now, though only in my opinion but Tenri University had been impressing me so much in this tournament. Together with Higashi Nihon, their existence were such an unpredictable one along in this tournament. What is the most highlighted part of their play is their massive offense. Not stopping once they got the momentum in batting, they already recorded two called games in this tournament against Tokyo Agricultural Okhotsk in first round and Hachinohe Gakuin in second round.

Thanks to their solid batting lineup, the average of their team's batting already passed over .312 in three games a row. And of course, the pillar of their offense leaded by the fourth-hole slugger, Ishitobi Tomohiro OF (石飛智洋). He was really surprised all people that have witnessed this tournament all along due to his unreal batting stats with 7 AB 7 H until second round, given him the most highest batting average at that time within 1.000 AVG.

Ishitobi Tomohiro OF

As he is now in the last year and rarely being discussed or even got noted by some pro scouters (even by myself), I already claimed him as a hidden gems among draft candidate prospects this year, aside with the most noted outfielder Nishikawa Misho and Yoshino Tsubasa.

Tomorrow's schedule (semifinal) :

• Aoyama Gakuin University - Tenri University (11:30 JST)
• Higashi Nihon International Univ. - Waseda University (14:00 JST)