Seibu Lions On the 19th, Manaya Nishikawa outfielder (26) of the "K" team opened his voluntary training at ground in Saitama Prefecture. This season, he has his sights set on the title of most hit and has shown his determination to mass hit production as a lead-off man.

In his eighth professional season last year, he established himself as the leadoff hitter from the middle of the season. He played in a career-high 124 games, batting .264 with 10 Home Run, 38 RBI, and 25 stolen base, breaking out as a leadoff man. His strong fielding skills also shone through, earning him the Golden Glove Award for outfielder. Although he was sidelined for a while due to discomfort in his right shoulder, he led the league in runs scored with 64. His 134 hit were just 10 behind the league leader, Rakuten Eagles of Rakuten.

"Last season, there was still a lot I wanted to do. This season, I want to add to that. I didn't win any numerical titles, so I want to win those. I want to win the most hit. No, I really want to win it. Yes, I'm going to win it."

He trains independently with his juniors, Daiju Nomura and Asahi Taniguchi. They do hard training that really pushes the lower body. They encourage each other and encourage each other.

"No, I'm really happy about it. Even though I have a really strange record (fielder player: 62 consecutive at-bats without a hit), the fact that they ask me questions about batting and defense makes me really happy."

The leadoff hitter is now the vice president of the players' association. He will turn his heavy responsibility into strength. Nishikawa will lead the Leo team in their counterattack. (Kato Hiroshi)