【夏の高校野球】廃部の危機から復活「塩沢商工」：注目校⑤【新潟】スーパーJにいがた7月6日OA

The opening of the Summer High School Baseball Niigata Tournament is fast approaching on July 9th. Therefore, we will be introducing some of the schools to watch this summer in a series. This fifth installment features Shiozawa Shoko High School. Voices echo across the naturally rich grounds overlooking the Echigo Mountains. The Shiozawa Shoko Baseball Club operates with 14 players and 4 managers. However, just two years ago… ■Coach Toshiya Terazawa "At the end of summer, we had zero players. In fact, we were planning to disband the club." Zero players. Behind the club's revival in just two years from the brink of disbandment was the presence of a young coach. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Shiozawa Shoko's founding. In the fall of 2004, they achieved their best-ever result, reaching the top four, but the number of members gradually decreased, and in 2019, they became a combined team. Although they temporarily competed as a single team, they have once again teamed up with Tokamachi Sogo High School for the summer tournament three years ago. ■Manager Toshiya Terazawa "When we were playing as a five-school combined team, I was allowed to hit ground balls for them, but I never got to hit for my own school's players, so I'm happy about that." Two years ago, 30-year-old Toshiya Terazawa became the manager of Shiozawa Shoko High School. Actually, 13 years ago, UX interviewed Terazawa when he was aiming for Koshien while at Niigata Ken-o Kogyo High School. "The hardest worker, manager Toshiya Terazawa. He's the one holding the batting practice bat. He joined the team as an outfielder, but last fall he decided to support the team as a manager." Now, he's fulfilling his unfulfilled dream as a manager. He took on his first managerial role at Shiozawa Shoko, but his managerial career began with... an unexpected start with zero players. ■Manager Toshiya Terazawa "It started with figuring out how to close the baseball club. Immediately after arriving, I received requests from alumni asking me to do something." To keep the baseball club going— The first thing he tackled was 'SNS'. ■Coach Toshiya Terazawa "Club activities tend to be a black box, so actively sharing information about our inner workings and activities will help catch the attention of junior high school students." In cooperation with retired third-year students and managers, they post practice sessions on social media. One initiative they are particularly focusing on is the "140 Over Challenge." This project aims for pitchers to reach a ball speed of 140 km/h and batters to reach a batted ball speed of 140 km/h through proper training. With the cooperation of alumni and the support group, they have introduced the latest motion analysis equipment. Furthermore, they have enhanced their indoor training equipment, creating an environment where players can strengthen their bodies even during the winter months. ■Captain Akira Tatekabe (2nd year) "I don't think there's any other training like this." In addition, to ensure each player receives the right nutrition for physical development, the manager... ■Manager "The red one (EAA) is the same for everyone, but the maltodextrin varies depending on the person; heavier people take less, and lighter people take a little more. (Q. What's the amount for each person?) I've memorized it." As a result, while some retired players didn't reach their goals, they successfully increased their speed from 126 km/h to 135 km/h in 8 months, a 9 km/h increase, demonstrating positive results. Shiozawa Shoko's unique approach isn't limited to training. ■Coach Toshiya Terazawa "We conducted three studies over two years: ① the impact of the new standard bat, ② whether the number of fastballs increases with a runner on first base, and ③ how much performance drops during long-distance travel." This newly started research activity in baseball went beyond mere investigation; the results were compiled and presented at the Japan Baseball Society. ■Coach Toshiya Terazawa "I think that even players who have never played baseball before can come to love it by studying it. Ultimately, I think it's good that the number of baseball players will increase." They post their training and research activities daily on social media. Their efforts paid off, and in 2024, six first-year students joined the team, saving it from disbandment… and in 2025, eight more first-year students joined. In just two years, they achieved a remarkable revival, becoming able to compete independently. ■Coach Toshiya Terazawa "Honestly, I never thought we'd be able to compete independently while I was here." When asked about their reasons for joining— ■Yo Matsuda (2nd year) "I love baseball and wanted to start playing in middle school, but my parents said it was too late. After seeing Shiozawa Shoko's Instagram, I decided to try playing baseball in high school. I'm having a lot of fun now." Their influence wasn't limited to Shiozawa Shoko;...