Meiji pitcher Jay Jay Ohkawa (22), the first-round draft pick for Nippon-Ham and boasting a top speed of 155 km/h, attended a homecoming welcome party at his alma mater, Josho Gakuin, in Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture on the 18th. He vowed to surpass manager Naoya Shimada (55), who joined Nippon-Ham in 1987 as an undrafted free agent.

Regarding his three years of training at Josho Gakuin, the powerful pitcher said, "It was after I entered Josho Gakuin that I first thought about aiming to become a professional baseball. It was a turning point in my life." He spoke thoughtfully about being drafted by The Fighters where his mentor started his professional baseball career, saying, "I realized that there really is such a thing as fate."

Coach Shimada, who is also a reliever, won the title of best reliever pitcher in 97 during his time in Yokohama, and appeared in 419 games in his professional career in 14 years. He was loved by fans.

"I want to become pitcher who can rival Shimada-san. I want to win titles, and having a clear goal makes it easier to understand. My preferred position is closer, but I want to win everything I can, like the Best reliever Award," said Okawa. He renewed his resolve to succeed in his new environment at his alma mater, which is where it all began for him. (Hiroshi Kato)