An exciting rookie has joined Orix Buffaloes. Including development slots, 11 players were selected in the October draft. Five of the seven players under contract are high school students, and both team president Michio Minato (63) and general manager Junichi Fukura (65), who will retire on the 31st, are unanimous in saying, "This is an exciting plan." The West Hochi Shimbun will be introducing rookies from various sports in a series titled "Ho! Rookies." The first installment will feature pitcher Haruki Mori (18), drafted second overall, who aims for a top speed of 160 km/h and has revealed his determination to seize the title of "Generation No. 1," saying, "I want to be the most successful player in the future."

A 190cm right-handed pitcher with limitless potential has knocked on the door of the professional league. Osaka Toin High School's Haruki Mori declared, "My goal is to have a powerful fastball like Shumpeita Yamashita. I want to throw at 160 km/h." He is working to hone his fastball, which recorded 2,700 spins, the same as Hanshin Tigers Tigers manager Fujikawa's when he was active.

In the fall of his freshman year, he hit 151 kilograms, and was dubbed a "monster freshman. The following spring he made his Koshien debut, and in the fall of his sophomore year he was assigned the number "1" on his new team. The first time the team was in the Kinki Tournament, they beat Shiga Gakuen 5 2/3 times, runs, and in the final of the Osaka Tournament in the summer of their junior year, they beat Higashi Osaka Oosaka Kashiwabara 3 2 runs. They were unable to show their strength in the big game and missed the sacred ground in the spring and summer for the first time in six consecutive years. The team was also not selected for the U-18 Japan national team, for which it was a candidate. The team's performance and ability could have been a little better," said Kashiwara. baseball But I was not prepared for the new challenge. Now that I'm a pro, my determination has changed. He is now training with a focus on bodybuilding, aiming to weigh 100 kilograms.

I have seen the anguished former players who visit at the end of the year, saying, "Becoming a professional is not easy." Coach Nishitani Koichi (56) also taught me the harsh reality, saying, "Unlike high school, (baseball) becomes a job. It's not easy, you need to be more determined." "I want to be the most successful in the future," he said. He will seize the title of "Generation No. 1" in the professional world. (Segawa Fuka)

Haruki Mori was born on August 1, 2007 in Nobeoka, Miyazaki. He is 18 years old. He started playing softball at the Tokai Higashi Youth baseball Club in his first year at Kawashima Elementary School, and joined the baseball club at Sacred Heart Ursula Gakuen Soumei Junior High School. He was on the bench at Osaka Toin High School from the fall of his first year, and played in Koshien in the spring and summer of his second year.