The draw for the Spring Tokai Regional High School Baseball Tournament, set to open on May 23 at Okazaki Red Diamond Stadium and other venues, was held on May 12 in Aichi Prefecture. Chitoku, the Shizuoka prefectural champion for the first time in its 72-year history across all seasons, will face Chubu University Kasugaoka (Aichi No. 2) in their opening match on May 23 at 10:00 a.m. at Komaki Municipal Stadium. Meanwhile, Hamamatsu Sho (Shizuoka No. 2) will take on Ogaki Nichidai (Gifu No. 1) at 12:30 p.m. at Okazaki Stadium.
This marks Chitoku’s debut appearance at the Tokai tournament in both spring and autumn seasons, after they qualified as prefectural runners-up in 2010 but withdrew due to a scandal just before the event. Their 192-centimeter left-handed ace pitcher, Daichi Watanabe (a third-year student), who pitched in all five games and completed four at the prefectural tournament, expressed his excitement: “I’m really looking forward to it. Every team we face in Tokai is strong, but I want to aim for that first win.” The final is scheduled for May 26 at Okazaki Stadium.
