Strengthen stamina,
I aim to be a pitcher who can pitch a complete game and get a win.

College of Health and Welfare Third-year students
baseball club
Graduated from Chuo Gakuin High School

Akio Yoshikawa

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Every time I change positions, I realize the depth of baseball.

Influenced by my older brother, who is two years older than me, I started playing baseball in the first grade of elementary school. My brother and I belonged to the same team and dedicated ourselves to baseball, pushing each other to improve.

Currently, I'm focusing on pitching, but I've played multiple positions in the past, including catcher and second base. Learning new signs and movements each time I changed positions was challenging, but those experiences allowed me to understand the unique appeal and difficulties of each position.

J. F. Oberlin University I became interested because many seniors from high school were there. When I actually came to observe after being invited by a senior one year above, I intuitively thought, "I want to play baseball here." I felt it was an environment where the relationships were flat, and I could quickly connect with seniors, allowing me to focus comfortably on practice.

An injury led to him winning the Most Valuable Player award in the spring league.

Soon after joining the team, the coach suggested I switch to an underhand pitching style. I tried it for about two or three months, but I felt it didn't suit me, so I went back to my original form and resumed practicing. Then, I was able to pitch better than expected in an intrasquad game, which caught the attention of the coaches, and I started being called up to play in games from the fall league of my first year.

A major turning point in my college career was when I got injured before the spring league in my third year. I suffered a muscle strain, which prevented me from doing enough leg training, but I was able to dedicate that time to upper body weight training. As a result, I improved my upper body mechanics and became able to consistently pitch around five innings. I believe this experience was a major reason why I was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the spring league.

As I've moved up a grade and gained more underclassmen, I've made a conscious effort to actively communicate with my teammates. In particular, during the spring league, where we often used multiple pitchers in each game, I made sure to share information with each other and maintain a high level of motivation throughout the team.

Our goals for the autumn league are to win the championship with an undefeated record and return to the first division.

In the regular season league, I was assigned to pitch short innings, but my ideal is to be a pitcher who can throw all nine innings. In preparation for the fall league, I'm currently working on improving my stamina by throwing 150 to 200 or more pitches in the bullpen each week, in addition to running drills.

J. F. Oberlin University The strength of the baseball club is that you can talk regardless of grade. I also ask questions about everything from technical skills to mental health, regardless of whether they're senior or junior. I feel that the team's strength lies in actively sharing information and fostering mutual growth.

For the autumn league, our goal is to win every championship and return to Division 1. As a team, we want to do our best to achieve good results in both ERA and batting average. For those who come to the stadium, we hope not only the players playing on the field but also the passionate atmosphere where the cheering sections and benches are integrated will feel firsthand. Please experience the essence of J. F. Oberlin University firsthand!

Interview date:
This was done in July 2025 for the "Obirin Sports" website.

Strengthen stamina,I aim to be a pitcher who can pitch a complete game and get a win.

Main content

Every time I change positions, I realize the depth of baseball.

An injury led to him winning the Most Valuable Player award in the spring league.

Our goals for the autumn league are to win the championship with an undefeated record and return to the first division.

Related content

Strengthen stamina,
I aim to be a pitcher who can pitch a complete game and get a win.