Shun Okamoto (4th year, Faculty of Business Administration) was selected 3rd in the professional baseball draft by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp!
This is the first time in Konan’s long history that a Konan student has been nominated at a draft meeting!
The day after he was nominated, while still feeling excited, we spoke to Mr. Okamoto.
KONAN-PLANET reporter
Congratulations again!
Mr. Shun Okamoto
thank you! I’m really happy that so many people have congratulated me.
KONAN-PLANET reporter
Of course, I would like to ask you about the draft, but before that, please tell us about your story so far. First of all, could you tell me how you started playing baseball?
Mr. Shun Okamoto
I started playing baseball when I was in the second grade of elementary school. It all started when my neighbor’s older brother invited me to join the town’s baseball team. It was a small town and there weren’t many members, so I felt like I was called in to match the numbers (lol).
At the time, I was playing soccer, but I started having fun playing catch with my dad during practice. From there, I fell in love with baseball.
KONAN-PLANET reporter
Have you been active as a pitcher since the beginning?
Mr. Shun Okamoto
No, it’s not.
I was a pitcher in elementary school and junior high school, but in high school I played first, third, and shortstop. Although he was also a pitcher, he primarily played as an infielder.
The high school is not a strong school either, and the final tournament was the prefecture’s top 8. There are only about 20 schools in my hometown of Tokushima, so I only won twice lol.
KONAN-PLANET reporter
Why did Mr. Okamoto choose Konan University’s baseball club?
I heard that Konan’s baseball club was the reason he decided to become a pitcher.
Mr. Shun Okamoto
I chose Konan because my high school coach and manager recommended it to me.It has a good atmosphere and is both literary and martial arts, so I think it would be a good fit for you.Being able to play baseball in the first division league was also appealing.
What inspired me to switch to pitching was the baseball club practice session I attended before enrolling. I participated in practice as a shortstop, but I wasn’t good at all at that time, so I laughed bitterly.
I thought it was a metal bat, but I ended up hitting it with a wooden bat, and I couldn’t hit it at all.I thought I couldn’t continue like this, so I said, “Please let me pitch as well.”In desperation, I asked to be a pitcher as well, but I think the manager saw me pitching and appreciated it. That led me to join the club as a pitcher.
KONAN-PLANET reporter
From there, I became a pitcher.
Mr. Shun Okamoto
No, when I entered the school I was a little unskilled at shortstop, but the seniors were really good at it. Even in batting practice, I got 3 strikeouts on 3 pitches, so I gave up on playing shortstop…lol
From there, I became a pitcher, but the senior pitchers were all great, so it was difficult to keep up with them at first.
The Konan baseball club has over 100 members, but there is no strict hierarchy, and the atmosphere is friendly and friendly.When practicing as a pitcher, I have more free time than a fielder, but in order to improve the issues I thought I had, I researched them myself and received advice from my seniors. I returned to pitching in college, and I think it was a good environment for me to grow.
KONAN-PLANET reporter
When did Mr. Okamoto start thinking about becoming a professional?
Mr. Shun Okamoto
This is from the end of the 3rd year to the 4th year. Gradually, more and more scouts started coming to watch, and little by little I started to become more aware of it, but up until then, I didn’t really care about it at all. I was also looking for a job as usual,I pitched well in the first official game of spring, and I started thinking, “Maybe.”
But then I got injured. I was feeling some pain before the spring tournament, but I held on and pitched in the first game. But from the second game onwards, I couldn’t throw anymore. At that time, rather than thinking that the professionals were leaving us, I felt sorry for the scouts who had come to see us.
KONAN-PLANET reporter
How did you feel when you overcame such a situation and were safely nominated?
Mr. Shun Okamoto
Of course I was happy to be nominated, but I was also really happy to see my parents, friends, baseball club, and university staff so happy. “That’s good,” I thought.
Scouts from Hiroshima came to visit us from an early stage, and in that sense, it was a team I wanted to visit. I believe that the Carp is a baseball team that is rooted in the community and is loved. I want to be a player who can play an active role in such a team for a long time and be loved by the fans.
KONAN-PLANET reporter
I’m looking forward to it! !
There is only a little time left in my student life, but I hope I can spend my days fulfillingly until the end.
Mr. Shun Okamoto
I agree. I went to university in Kobe from Tokushima and made many friends there. It’s the same around the university, but Sannomiya and Osaka are also close by, so I think it’s a good environment. I will study hard until the end so that I can successfully graduate.lol
As a baseball player, I want to work on building my body. I would like to grow even a little and join the team.
I became a full-fledged pitcher in college, and I think I still have a lot of room to improve. I will continue to work hard not only after joining the team, but also in the future.
KONAN-PLANET reporter
Thank you for speaking with me today!
We are looking forward to seeing Okamoto in action at Mazda Stadium! !
