The reporters and recording team completed the interviews one after another and left.

Zhang Zhe already knew the news that Xingling High School had entered the finals. After finishing training and packing up his equipment, he used his mobile phone to browse the news related to Hagar today.

Some of these review articles are of great reference value.

Some fans and netizens wrote that the high-end media is accustomed to exaggerating the importance of "such and such a hitter" or "such and such pitcher" to increase the story, so that it often misleads the audience into the illusion of "one god leads to eight pits".

In fact, the teams that can reach the semi-finals of Xia Lia have no particularly obvious shortcomings in offense and defense.

For example, Hakusan gives people the impression of being a super strong team with four at-bats and eight. However, according to statistics from the five rounds of this conference, Hakusan's number of hits is exactly the same as Luzhengshe's, 72.

Zhang Zhe's 17 hits in four at-bats only accounted for more than 20% of the team's total, not even a quarter.

For another example, Seiryo's ace Kyoshin Okukawa is known as the "top pitcher in the conference" with a ball speed of 154 kilometers and 23 strikeouts in a single game. People will think that he is the one who brought Seiryo into the finals, but the entire Seiryo line averages 13 hits per game. The contribution of hits should not be ignored either.

Winners all have the same strengths.

A stable batting line, a solid pitching staff, and outstanding personal abilities.

Some Takano fans and netizens have discovered that Hakusan and Xingling are one of the most stable teams after this year's Spring League. Both teams have only lost one official match in the Spring League so far this year.

Hakusan High School’s 18th consecutive victory in the official competition.

Seiryo High School’s 19th consecutive victory in the official competition.

The two teams that meet in the Xia League finals will battle it out for the first time in their respective school history.

night.

After taking a bath and eating, Zhang Zhe looked through Xing Leng's information and thought about how to play in the finals the day after tomorrow.

Look at it over and over again, think about it over and over again.

"Although Xingling's line is strong, it always feels a bit unstable. Sometimes it seems that the state comes out late. I don't know if the order will change in the finals."

"Okugawa-senpai will start today's semi-finals."

"Will Okugawa-senpai start in the final?"

According to the data, the total number of pitchers at Seiryo High School in the 5 rounds of this tournament is 3. Among them, Kyoshin Okawa has appeared in 4 games and started 3 games. He is the absolute main pitcher.

The last time Okugawa Kyoushin was on the board was today's semifinals, starting seven games without a score.

The final is the day after tomorrow, with a rest day in between.

Although the additional rest days in this year's Ha League are more reasonable than in previous years, just one day is far from enough for the main pitchers.

Heat and exhaustion are a pitcher's worst enemies in Hagar.

If Kyoushin Okawa starts pitching in the final the day after tomorrow, he will most likely not be able to perform at his normal level.

"It's possible that someone else will start."

Zhang Zhe does not rule out the possibility of preparing multiple plans, taking into account the abundant strength of Xingling's pitching staff.

Going to the coaching staff's conference room, Zhang Zhe told Higashi Takuji and Toyama Ekikei his thoughts.

There are some differences in the views of the coaching staff.

Higashi Takuji said firmly: "Okawa will definitely start, and he may complete the shot. We will use him as an imaginary opponent in training tomorrow."

"Haha, I also think it's Okukawa," Toyama Etsuki explained the reason to Zhang Zhe, "If star players like Okugawa and Xiaozhe are on the bench, the pressure of supervision will be great. If there are no injuries, Okukawa will definitely start."

Totoji’s judgment includes the perspective of being a supervisor.

The knowledge of pitcher scheduling cannot be fully answered even in professional baseball, let alone amateur-level high school baseball.

Last year, Xing Leng suffered a major reversal due to hasty pitching changes. After learning from their experience, their pitching rotation was more cautious this year. The bench pitchers shared some innings, but in important games, they still had to pitch the ace.

Crucial games need to eliminate unstable factors. Higashi Takuji thinks so because he plans to do the same.

"Xiao Zhe, during the finals, watch Kazuya and try your best to persist until the end."

"Yes, I understand."

After some discussion, the general strategy for the final was decided, with Kyōnobu Okugawa as the imaginary enemy to attack and Kazuya Nishino as the defensive opponent.

…

August 21st.

Hakusan High School Baseball Club’s training ground.

Rehearsals for tomorrow's finals are in progress.

Coaches moved home plate a few meters forward to bring the strike zone closer to the pitcher's mound to simulate the look of a fastball hitting the bases.

"Qiang!"

"Qiang!!"

Amidst the sonorous sound of hitting the ball, Higashi Takuji and Toyama Etsuki observed the players' ball selection reactions and swing movements, then wrote and drew on the record sheet, discussing something in a low voice.

Earlier, the White Mountain High School Baseball Club received donations from businesses in the county. The club added several new pitching machines, and its hitting training has been significantly improved.

The Baishan players are no strangers to 150-kilometer fastballs. Along the way, they have also attacked many local pitchers, so they are both stressed and motivated for tomorrow's final.

Everyone knows that today's drill is specifically for Seiryo ace Kyoushin Okukawa.

During practice, everyone worked hard to adjust their eyes to the fastball, secretly thinking that tomorrow they would challenge the Reiwa monster that the media calls the pitcher.

The morale of the whole team is excellent.

Higashikawa Takuji and Toyama Etsuki saw it in their eyes and greatly praised it in their hearts. Their players had forged the belief in winning after being tempered by consecutive victories.

So what if you are the top pitcher in the conference? Let’s challenge it openly!

While the players were practicing hard, Higashi Takuji and Toyama Etsuki also decided on their strategy for the finals.

First of all, in terms of starting pitchers, Seiryo ace Kyoushin Okugawa only rested for one day, while Kazuya Nishino rested for four full days. Hakuyama has a physical advantage.

The countermeasures against Okugawa Kyoshinobu are divided into two stages.

The first stage is to reduce the number of bats, try to start attacking from the third ball, consume the number of balls used by the pitcher, use your eyes to adapt to the ball speed, and observe the pitcher's condition at the same time.

The second stage is to actively hit the bat, but you must also stick to the home plate record and not hit obvious bad balls. When releasing the bat, in principle, pay attention to "Better sooner rather than later" and "Hit it high and play it low".

The defensive coaching staff's plan is to "be strong first and then be flexible".

The Koshien finals in the summer are equivalent to the most important test in a high school baseball player's life. All nervousness, stress, mistakes, and other unexpected situations are excusable.

Rather than waiting for the critical moment to be affected by pressure, it is better to release the pressure from the beginning and experience the tension of the final.

In the evening, the pre-match meeting was held to explain the opponents, lay out tactics, and discuss plans one by one.

The real feeling that the final is approaching gradually emerged.

late at night.

Higashikata inspected the rooms one by one.

On the eve of the finals, everyone was in a different mood.

Some players were overwhelmed with excitement; some players were nervous; some players cried secretly as they missed their deceased mother.

The moon and stars are sparse, and the night is long.

Or nervous and restless, or tossing and turning.
Chapter completed!