On the 7th, Softbank Hawks pitcher Kazuo Ono made a case for inclusion in the opening rotation. He pitched in batting practice for Group B, throwing 25 pitches, mostly fastballs. With manager Kokubo watching, he did not allow any hittable balls. Three pitcher from Group B are expected to join Group A in the third training session. "Considering the force with which they were pitching, the strong balls we were looking for were starting to appear," he said, agreeing with his own assessment of his progress towards promotion.

A dull "crunch" sound rang out. It was the fourth pitch. The temperature had suddenly dropped from that day, and his pitching speed was still in the low 140 km/h range, but he broke the bat with a fastball that had plenty of movement. He also focused breaking ball low, and was in good condition. Regarding his promotion from the third training course, he was excited, saying, "First, I'll aim for that spot, and then I'll be able to join the rotation competition."

In January, Director Kokubo mentioned Jun Maeda, Yu Maeda, and Ohno as the three players he expects pitcher this season. He has heard of them and said, "I only saw it in an article on the Internet, but if I don't get in there, I can't compete. I want to work steadily and steadily. He made his first professional appearance last season and participated in the Puerto Rico Winter League last fall. The fast-growing left fielder is now in his fourth year and is determined to make his mark.