On the 21st, Softbank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo spoke about the current status of the competition for the regular shortstop position at a Miyazaki training camp summary press conference. "We're not just looking at how they hit in the exhibition games, but at their overall performance. (Nomura) Yu has been in good form all along. Kenta, of course, has been injury-free and is playing steadily. I think that this training camp has allowed Yu to turn what he learned last year into a bit of confidence," he said.

The 34-year-old veteran Kenta Imamiya is also practicing at second base defense in addition to his day job and is aiming for a professional baseball record 14th consecutive start starting line-up at the plate. 25 years and a .271 batting average in 126 games, the most of his career, 12 Home Run, Isami Nomura has been outstanding offensively and defensively this camp. In addition, Akira Kawase has also continued to make a strong showing, Home Run in the red-and-white game.