Professional baseball draft meeting on the 24th…Ishikawa Prefecture’s attention is on pitcher Naruki Teranishi of Nippon Sport Science University, who played with Okugawa and Uchiyama when he was at Seiryo High School.
10/22(Tue) 16:25
The professional baseball draft meeting will be held on the 24th. This year’s spotlight is Naruki Teranishi, a pitcher from Nomi City and Nippon Sport Science University.
Pitcher Naruki Teranishi is a native of Nomi City, an alumnus of Seiryo High School, and a fourth-year student at Nippon Sport Science University.
Pitcher Teranishi:
“I’ve been told that my form is beautiful and that I don’t have any quirks, so I think my weapons are my beautiful straight and control that take advantage of that form.”
He is 186cm tall and has a form that takes advantage of his reach, and his fastest straight line is 153km/h. Furthermore, he confuses opposing batters with a variety of curveballs, including a pitchfork that hits 140km/h. He is the ace and leads the team at Nippon Sport Science University, which has about 80 pitchers alone.
Pitcher Teranishi:
“I’ve worked hard to be the best among everyone, so I always pitch with confidence on the mound.”
Furthermore, this year, he was selected to play on the Japan Collegiate National Team and will participate in a tournament in the Netherlands as the ace, and is expected to be a top pick in the draft.
Pitcher Teranishi has been on the elite path since early on. During his time at Negami Junior High School, he was selected to represent Japan under the age of 15, Samurai Japan. He played an active role alongside his future teammate Uchiyama, who currently plays for Yakult. As a main pitcher, he contributed to winning the Asian Championship.
At the time, he was known as a “super junior high school student” because he recorded the fastest ball speed of 141 km on a softball ball, which is harder to reach than on a hardball ball.
During his time at Seiryo High School, he played with his classmate Uchiyama, one grade above him, Yakult’s Okugawa, and Giant’s Yamase. He was a player with a promising future, making his Koshien debut in the summer of his first year.
Pitcher Teranishi:
“I wanted to be successful and go pro after graduating from high school.”
In the spring of his third year, he was scheduled to participate in the Senbatsu tournament, and things seemed to be going well, but…
Takanoren press conference:
“After careful discussions, we have come to the conclusion that this tournament has no choice but to be cancelled.”
In the spring of 2020, the Senbatsu tournament that I had been scheduled to participate in was canceled due to the spread of the new coronavirus. The Seiryo High School baseball team was also forced to suspend activities. In fact, around this time, pitcher Teranishi was suffering from a serious injury to his right shoulder.
Pitcher Teranishi:
“It’s a labrum injury, which usually gets better in baseball players, but it’s a shoulder injury.”
While there is an option to rest and see what happens, we are making a big decision.
Pitcher Teranishi:
“I decided to take the plunge and have the surgery done in time for the summer.”
In the spring of my third year of high school, I decided to undergo cleaning surgery. He graduated from high school without participating in an official game. Even after I went to university, I spent two years in rehabilitation. Of course, you can’t pitch.
Pitcher Teranishi:
“When I saw everyone around me pitching baseball, I thought to myself, “I wish I could throw like that,” but I started to hate baseball and thought I couldn’t do it anymore. There wasn’t.”
The person who supported Teranishi by his side was pitching coach Tsuji of Nippon Sport Science University, who was active with the Chunichi Dragons.
Nippon Sport Science University coach Tsuji Tsuji:
“As a third and fourth year university student, I told him that I wanted him to be able to pitch and contribute to the team, but he didn’t rush.In Teranishi’s case, while his classmates were pitching in league games. He is a player who has the ability to stay calm and focus on his goals, and we can expect that from him in the future.”
Pitcher Teranishi has been out of action for three years. Still, he continued to train steadily and made his first appearance in a league game in the spring of his third year at university, winning five games and suddenly becoming the MVP of the Tokyo Metropolitan University League, which was packed with strong teams. He quickly gained attention as a draft candidate.
Pitcher Teranishi:
“My family has been rooting for me and pushing me, so I think it’s a goal for all of them, so I definitely want to achieve it.” Coach Hayashi of Seiryo High School, coach of Nippon Sport Science University, and coach Tsuji have also given me a lot of support. Thank you for your help, so I want to do my best to give a good report to many people.”
A real right-hand man who knows the hardships. I’ll wait for the good news on the 24th.
