“We don’t have a lot of players, and they all played really well.”
The 78th National Collegiate Baseball Championship ended with Dongguk University and Korea University sharing the title. The upset came after the tournament’s final game, scheduled to be played on Nov. 11 at Hongcheon Baseball Stadium in Gangwon Province, was canceled due to rain.
“Everyone played well,” Dongguk head coach Lee Kun-yeol told OSEN over the phone, “and our players’ mental strength was amazing. And I think they finished the tournament well without getting injured.”
Dongguk University, which played 10 games in Group A of the KUSF College Baseball U-League in 2023 with six wins, one draw and three losses, was eager to put the losses behind them in this tournament.
After sweeping Korea Golf University 8-0 in the first round, Dongguk defeated Kyungpook National University 7-2 in the second round, and then faced last year’s champion Kyung Hee University in the round of 16 with a 14-2 sweep.
Dongguk defeated Jeju International University 4-1 in the quarterfinals, and punched its ticket to the final with a 13-3 victory over Hanil Jangshin University in the semifinals. In five games, the team scored 46 runs and shut out eight opponents. They had a team ERA of 1.03 and a solid mound.
Remarkably, Dongguk played five games with fewer players than the other teams. “We prepared with 20 players,” said Lee. We played five games from the last day. We had to cancel the final on the 11th due to rain, but the players worked really hard with the small number of players.”
From the 1st to the 10th, Dongguk University was in full swing. The amateur players did a great job with a relatively small number of players. The coach can’t help but be proud.
“Five out of six of our pitchers pitched. Everyone did their job well. They were evenly matched. The hitters did a good job. I think we connected well. I think we connected well.” He repeatedly praised the team. 안전놀이터추천
There have been concerns. “We didn’t have a lot of players, so we didn’t do a lot of workouts. I was worried about injuries. However, all the players prepared for the game by controlling their physical condition well. It was said that Dongguk University baseball was ‘a little weak’ this year, but the players worked harder and harder. I’m very grateful to our players.”
Lee hopes that his students will do well in college and join professional teams. “It’s good to raise high school students, but when they come to college, they study, socialize, and improve their judgment. If they go to the pros in this state, they will adapt well. We have good players. There are players who can go to the pros and be competitive. College baseball, college players are playing really well,” he emphasized, wishing the juniors well for the future.