Rakuten Eagles Daisuke Nakashima outfielder Daisuke Nakajima (24) opened his offseason training in Okinawa Prefecture to the public by the 14th. Last season, he established himself as a regular outfield. He reached the required number of plate appearances for the first time and had a breakout season, recording a batting average of .266, 6 Home Run, 31 RBI, and 22 stolen base. "I want to surpass last year. I want to make this a year where I can surpass my performance from last year," he declared.

His alma mater, Aoyama Gakuin University, won the 102nd Hakone Ekiden (held on the 2nd and 3rd). "When they do their best, it makes me feel good, or rather, it makes me feel proud. I'm not involved at all, but I had friends there when I was a university student, and I still support them a lot, so I'm happy." Though the sport is different, he was inspired by his alma mater's success.

In the Hakone Ekiden, Asahi Kuroda (4th year) from Aoyama Gakuin University set an astonishing new section record in the 5th section, which is an uphill climb. He took on the nickname "Shin Mountain God." When asked "If you were to become the god of XX," Nakajima replied with a smile, "I'd like to be the god of batting."

The reason he chose the "God of Batting" was clear: "As fielder, running, hitting, and defense are all important in terms of helping the team win, but I think batting has a big impact on a great team, so I want to become a better batter," he explained.