On the 8th, Chiba Lotte announced that the members of the Chiba Lotte Marines junior team, who will participate in the 'NPB Junior Tournament KONAMI CUP 2026', have been decided.

The members of The Marines Junior 2026 were selected through a recruitment process held on the official team website from June 22 to July 6, with 16 players chosen from approximately 800 applicants. The team will be managed by Yukihiko Sato, a former member of The Marines and principal of The Marines Baseball Academy, with coaching provided by team alumni and The Marines Baseball Academy technical coaches Tomohisa Otani and Naoto Ogawa.

The 'NPB Junior Tournament KONAMI CUP 2026' is hosted by the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization and the 12 NPB teams. It was established in 2005 with the hope that children could feel their goal of a 'dream of professional baseball' is more within reach, and this year marks its 22nd occurrence.

This year, a total of 16 teams participated, including the junior teams of each of the 12 NPB clubs, the junior teams of the farm league participating clubs Oisix Niigata Albirex Baseball Club and Hayate Ventures Shizuoka, and the junior teams of the Route Inn BC League and Shikoku Island League plus, which are selected from leagues affiliated with the Japan Association of Regional Professional baseball Leagues.

The tournament will be held from December 26th to 29th at Meiji Jingu Stadium and Giants Town Stadium. The Marines Junior won the championship in 2010, and if they win this tournament, it will be the second championship for the club.

▼ Comments from Director Yukihiko Sato

"We have now selected the 16 players who will compete as The Marines Junior 2026. During the selection process, each player demonstrated their unique personality, their passion for baseball, and their commitment to growth. I am looking forward to working with these 16 individuals. Over the next four months, I hope they will grow not only in their baseball skills but also as people by supporting one another. Under the motto 'PLAY FREE. WIN HARD.' and our slogan 'Intense, Fun, and to Win,' we will give our all until the very end, never forgetting our gratitude to those who support us. These 16 players will join forces to overcome various challenges and grow together as we aim for our first championship since 2010."

▼ 2026 The Marines Junior Team Members

Natsuki Asato (Red Fires), Sora Mizui (Urayasu Bay The Marines), Ryusei Ito (ASAI KIDS☆UNITED), Hinata Kadoya (Chiba Ichihara The Marines), Yuki Koizumi (Takezono Victories), Yuto Ishii (Tsuganodai Red Wings), Rikuto Ishii (Tsuganodai Red Wings), Yumeki Ishihara (Suga Chishio BLOOMS), Raiyu Kamada (Shisui Big Arrows), Takumi Sato (Yotsukaido Blue Stars), Akito Iizumi (Yutaka Nines), Tsubasa Shinozawa (Red Fires), Sota Nakanishi (ASAI KIDS★UNITED), Yukiya Matsushita (Midoricho Red The Eagles), Nagomi Furuhata (Yagiri Condors), Yuchi Hiruma (Toyogami Juniors). Total of 16 members.