2026 Professional baseball Draft Conference supported by Lipovitan D (22nd)

Sora Kato, a pitcher from Meisei University (4th year, Horikoshi), was selected in the 4th round by Nippon-Ham.

A right-handed pitcher who boasts a maximum speed of 157 kilometers per hour. His fastball, thrown from a height of 185 centimeters, is his greatest asset, and he was honored as a member of the Best Nine in the second division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area University Baseball League during the spring of his third year. Upon being drafted, Kato expressed his relief, saying, 'I feel relieved. I'm glad I've finally reached the starting line.'

His impression of Nippon-Ham is that it is "a team where I can learn a lot because I think the level of the pitchers is also very high." Among them, he mentioned Kota Tatsu (22) as a pitcher he would like to talk to.

He recognizes his own challenge as 'not being able to master breaking balls well,' and he is prepared to volunteer as an apprentice to Tatsu, who excels at controlling the fork, his finishing pitch.

The title I want to win is 'Best ERA'. I will learn as much as possible from my seniors and give it my all on the northern land.