On the 18th, Nippon-Ham held a welcome ceremony for its new players at Kamagaya Stadium in Chiba, with seven players drafted in 2025 in attendance. In an unusual move, first-round draft pick, pitcher Jay Ohkawa (22) from Meiji University, solicited suggestions for a nickname for the new players.

During the talk show, the topic of nicknames came up, and Okawa confessed his dilemma, saying, "My real name is Jay, but Nomura-san is called Jay, so I wonder if Jay is really okay." The team has infielder named Yuki Nomura (25) whose middle name is "James" and who is called "Jay," so Okawa asked for a new nickname, saying, "So, I'd like the fans to think of a new nickname for me, and if there's a good one among them, I think that would be fine if it feels right."

At the ceremony, the new players submitted their residency registration to Kamagaya City Mayor Hiromi Shibata. Okawa, who submitted the registration on behalf of the new players, said with a fresh smile, "I will definitely be living in Kamagaya City for the next two years. I look forward to enjoying delicious food and other things."

The ceremony has also become a regular event, with a portrait contest being held to test the players' artistic talent, and this year many fans flocked to the event to give a warm welcome to the new players.

▽ This season's new players

1st place: pitcher Jay Ohkawa (Meiji University)

2nd place: Kane Edokpolo outfielder (Osaka Gakuin University)

3rd place: Ruan Ohtsuka infielder (Tokai University)

4th・ Minato Handa infielder (Nichidai Fujisawa)

5th place: Kaito Fujimori catcher (Meitoku Gijuku High School, Kochi)

Training 1st place, Hiroki Tsuneya infielder (Hokkai Gakuen Univ.)

Developmental draft pick #2: Towa Yokoyama pitcher (Aomori Chuo Gakuin University)