◆Exhibition game: Seibu Lions vs. DeNA (21st, Belluna Dome)

Seibu Lions 's first-round draft pick, catcher Taiga Kojima (Meiji University), got his long-awaited first hit on the 21st.

He started starting line-up as the number 9 batter and catcher. Leading off in the 6th inning with his team hit by 4 runs, he got his first hit of the preseason, a single to right hit. After his first hit in his 5th preseason game and 12th at-bat, he breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "It's finally here. I feel much more at ease. I'm focusing on making solid swings rather than getting the result."

This spring, he was selected to start the first-team training camp in Nango, Miyazaki, but on the final day, February 23, he complained of discomfort in his right hamstring and rejoined the farm team on the 27th. He made his return to active play on March 8 and rejoined the first team for the game against Lotte on the 13th (at ZOZO Marine Stadium).