On the 26th, Lotte's Raito Ikeda starting line-up as the third batter and second baseman in the friendly match against the Czech Republic national team, ``GLOBAL FRIENDSHIP SERIES 2026,'' and had one hit, two RBI, and one stolen base.

Ikeda got the second batter with two outs bases loaded in the 3-1 2nd inning, and Novak hit a 136 km fastball pitch, the third pitch he threw from 1 ball 1 strike, for a double center fielder in front of base running and advanced to second base while center fielder was throw at home.

On this day, Ikeda's first at-bat in the first inning with the score Hit by Pitch at 0-0 and two runner and no stolen base base running was when he was hit by a pitch, and he then stole second base on the first pitch from Inoue Kodai, and scored the first hit on Inoue's hit to right field, clearly showing his determination to aim for the next base when running the bases.

◆ This season is important

Last season, Ikeda's fourth year as a professional, starting line-up started as the third batting order during the interleague games and played in a career-high 83 games, finishing with a batting average of .238, Home Run, and 20 RBI.

Last season, focusing on "doble" and "line drive-like hits" proved effective, and he has not changed his direction for this season.

During his off-season training, he said, "When I'm trying to hit line drive, I've been trying to be conscious of the angle of the bat." When asked if this is in addition to what he has been working on up until now, he replied, "Yes, I'm using the same things I've been working on up until now as a base."

In addition to "line drive-like hitting" during Ikeda's interview, last season he also spoke a lot about his "core." Regarding his core, he emphasized, "I think it's solidified," and revealed, "After playing for a year last year, I was able to see the good and bad parts, so I think what I'm doing isn't wrong. It gave me confidence. I've made a lot of changes up until now, like with my batting, but I'm sticking to the core of what I've been doing with Saburo."

Last season, he walked 11 batters in 249 at Walk bats, but he has shown his aggressiveness, which is his trademark, and has also been able to hang in there even when he is in a tight spot. Is he thinking about increasing his number Walk this season?

"I would like to increase the number of walks, but if I only think about Walk, I won't be able to go for the swing. First of all, I'll have to assume that I'm going to swing. I hope that if I can be persistent, I can end up getting Walk."

Regarding defense, he mainly plays second baseman, third first baseman, and first base in infield, and also plays in outfield in external games. During the Miyakonojo spring training camp, he said about defense, "When I'm called in, I'm conscious of getting an out."

With the training matches and exhibition games in mind, he said, "I want to make a good impact when I play. I want to do my best to get results," and hit Home Run in a training match against Hanwha of South Korea on February 22nd, and had one hit and two RBI in a friendly match against the Czech Republic on the 26th. He is currently on a three-game hit in which he has appeared starting line-up.

"Assuming I'll be in the first team for the whole year, I want to produce results when I play and increase the number of games and at-bats I get." In order to play in the first team for the whole year, it's important for him to continue producing results with the bat.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita