Keio University Athletic Association Baseball Club: Interviewing the Captain and Ace for the 2026 Season

Ever since I became captain, I've had the mindset that "I will lead the team to victory." We started from a difficult situation, having finished 5th for three consecutive seasons, so I felt we had to change the team. I wanted to change various aspects, but I placed particular emphasis on concentration during practice. I have strived to change the entire team's tenacity and focus regarding every single pitch and every single play.

I left specific techniques and systems to the specialized student coaches and managers, while I focused on leading by example. Although I do encourage the team with words, rather than giving detailed instructions, I take the lead in speaking up and let them see my actions. That is how I have led the team.

Since the two-month spring camp, I have felt his determination and the weight he places on these final spring and autumn tournaments as a senior. I think that sentiment was reflected in his pitching.

Every word Imazu says has a great influence on the team, and his spirited play has a dynamic quality that brings a good flow to the entire team. Now, I can't imagine anyone else but Imazu as captain; I think he has the perfect caliber for the role.

While preserving the wonderful traditions that Keio has passed down through generations, we were also able to take on new challenges. I believe that incorporating those into the team led to our success in the spring.

However, our initial goal was to "conquer all four titles," including the league and the All Japan tournament. In that sense, the regret of finishing as runners-up in the All Japan tournament is significant. That's exactly why I feel we absolutely cannot lose in the autumn.

Since the lineup's scoring ability was high this season, as a pitcher, I was able to throw with the mindset that "it's okay if I give up one run." I think it was a big factor that I could stand on the mound without feeling pressure.

Last year, the third-year students and younger had many opportunities to play in games, so I feel that experience is paying off for this season's starters as well. I think it was a season where the entire team was able to grow.

Having won the league in the spring and finished as runners-up in the All Japan tournament, I feel a sense of "we are strong" drifting through the team. While there is regret over not becoming number one in Japan, I think there is also a bit of complacency, thinking "we can win if it's the Big6 League."

We haven't pushed ourselves as hard as we did in the spring yet. Heading into the autumn, I think the challenge lies more in the mental aspect than in technique. We were able to win the championship by pulling through close games in the spring, but if we convince ourselves that "we are strong," there is a danger of becoming a team that loses because we can't get a hit when it counts.

Therefore, we need to work frantically with the mindset once again that "we are weak." If we don't, I think there's a possibility we could sink to the bottom of the standings, let alone win the championship in the autumn.

Just because we won in the spring and were runners-up in the All Japan tournament didn't mean we could immediately switch our mindset to the autumn. Through the Hokkaido camp and other experiences, each individual has come to have a sense of crisis, realizing that "we can't win if we stay as we were in the spring." From there, a flow has gradually emerged for the entire team to once again "aim for number one in Japan toward the autumn."

Regarding the reason for our loss to Kansai University in the All Japan final, we have been thoroughly conscious of the points the manager presented to the team to win short-term tournaments, starting from the very next day's practice. For about two months this summer, we have been practicing those issues intensively. I want to approach the autumn by confirming the results in practice games and exhibition matches, and analyzing whether to continue our current approach or build upon it further.

The biggest thing I worked on and changed this season was my pitching form; I tried to be conscious of being slow and long when throwing. Until last season, it felt like I was throwing in a rush, my form was short, and I wasn't holding onto the ball long enough.

By making my form longer, I felt like my so-called "ball retention" improved, and my control also got better. This season, I also started throwing a two-seamer as a breaking ball, and I think the increase in pitches to the inside corner contributed significantly to improving my ERA.

It's about reliably finishing the pitch in situations where I need to "get a strikeout here." My goal is to be able to throw all four of my basic pitch types—fastball, slider, two-seamer, and forkball—exactly where I intend. I'm focusing on how much I can reduce wasted pitches, missed locations, and balls that catch too much of the plate. In a game, you can lose due to a single mistake of mine. Baseball is a sport where one walk or one pitching error can change the flow of the game. That's why it's important how much I can push myself in practice. I want to steadily improve accuracy and reproducibility by repeatedly throwing exactly where I "can throw" and where I "want to throw."

While I achieved certain results in defense during the spring, I don't yet have full confidence in my fielding. I have been working on practice to play the second base position with confidence at Jingu Stadium. In the autumn, I want to show defensive skills that have grown to the next level.

In hitting, I am particularly conscious of my approach to not be overpowered by fast fastballs. I think top-tier hitters have in common that they "don't get beaten by fast pitches." First, it's important to become a hitter who can handle fast fastballs.

I also have regrets about the spring league, where I entered without being fully adjusted and couldn't give my best performance. Since the league is a short-term competition, losing even one series could mean missing out on the championship, so I want to be thoroughly prepared to give my best performance in every series.

By practicing with the top pitchers in college baseball, I could see what I was lacking and which parts of my game would work. Being able to feel that high level firsthand was a great stimulus.

I was stimulated not only in terms of technique but also in terms of the attitude toward baseball. On the national team, I was able to talk with players who had different thoughts and philosophies about baseball. The interaction with various players itself was a huge inspiration.

When I entered university, I wasn't specifically thinking about aiming to be a professional baseball player. During my first year, I was just frantically focused on club activities. By winning a title in my second year, my desire to "play baseball at a higher level" grew stronger, and I decided to aim for the pros around the time I started my third year.

However, I'm not always conscious of the pros during daily practice. First, I focus on improving myself and becoming a pitcher the team can rely on. And I'm concentrating on winning games and setting the tone for the match.

I also want to go pro in the future. I started becoming conscious of it around the spring of my third year, when I had the chance to play against players who actually went pro and were successful, and I felt their ball speed and high technical level firsthand. A desire to play more against such wonderful players sprouted in me. Like Watanabe, my big goal is first to enter the world of professional baseball. I don't have a particular preference for my position after going pro. I think there is a rarity in players who can hit while playing second base, so for now, I will concentrate on second base and work hard to make an appeal there.

The uniform has a unique weight to it. The tension and sense of responsibility when wearing the gray uniform are things our predecessors have passed down for many years. I think the greatness of Keio University's tradition is that it makes you feel, "Let's play in a way that doesn't shame this uniform." I feel that the attitude of not just protecting tradition, but approaching every single game with full effort and without letting our guard down, is also characteristic of Keio University.

I also have special feelings for the Waseda-Keio rivalry that are different from other games. It has a long history, the level of attention is different, and it's a game that holds a special meaning even within college sports. I had heard that the Waseda-Keio rivalry was special even before I entered, but I remember being shocked and moved by the unique atmosphere when I actually watched it from the stands for the first time, thinking, "So this is the Waseda-Keio rivalry!"

Our goal is to win the autumn league and the Meiji Jingu Intercollegiate Baseball Championship. I absolutely want to take the national title in the autumn that we couldn't achieve in the spring. To that end, I will approach practice with a sense of crisis once again, thinking "we are weak." I hope many Keio students and Keio University alumni will support us.

Throughout the spring season, I truly felt the immense power of support. Especially during the Waseda-Keio rivalry games, the number of people and the intensity of the support on the Keio University side were different from the very first inning. Receiving those cheers allowed the players to give their absolute best.

The "sense of unity as Keio University" created by the cheering is wonderful. I believe that if we can fight as one team at Keio University in the fall as well, we will get closer to winning the championship. For those who have never been to Meiji Jingu Stadium, I would love for you to visit at least once and experience this sense of unity.