The Aomori High School Baseball Federation accepted Aomori Yamada High School's recommendation refusal for the 94th Summer Koshien.  According to Federation officials, Aomori Yamada made it to the Final Four of this year's Tohoku Fall Tournament and was one of three high school teams the Federation selected as candidates for the Summer Koshien.

Aomori Yamada High School also withdrew its players from the Aomori mixed team that will be taking part in a International Tournament in Taiwan (eight days beginning on 12/22).

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First year Aomori Yamada baseball player dies after being hit by second year student

A first year Aomori Yamada High School baseball player was found unconscious in the player dorms and rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at around 1am on 12/19. A second year student, who allegedly struck the first year student, is being questioned by Aomori police.

According to school officials, the first year student was caught cooking yakinuki in a vacant dorm room with three other first year students and warned by the second year student.  It was at this time that the second year student allegedly struck the first year student in the back, with his bare hand.

After being hit, the first year student appeared to have difficult breathing, fell unconscious, and was dead about two hours later.

The school manager is quoted as saying that there were no reported cases of regular bullying or violence.

UPDATE 12/20 @ 11:15am - A few more details: the first year student was making yakiniku in one of the unused rooms in the player dorm.  At past 11:00pm, the second year student was hanging some laundry when he noticed the group making yakiniku over a flame, something not permitted in the dorms.  He warned the group and struck the first year student in the back with his bare hand.  Shortly thereafter, the first year student started having difficultly breathing and lost consciousness.  The other players reported the incident to a coach that was in the dorm.

An ambulance arrived at the dorm at around 11:30pm and rushed the student to a hospital in Aomori.  The student was pronounced dead at around 1am on 12/19.  An autopsy has been conducted and the cause of death is being looked into.

UPDATE 12/20 @ 6:39pm - Even more details, via TV Asahi's Super J Channel and a Mainichi Shimbun report:

• two dorm rules were broken: cooking is not allowed and despite there being a 10pm curfew, the first year students were having a get-together at 11pm.
• second year student struck the first year student in the back once.
• when the first year student started having difficulty breathing, he was taken to another room so that he could lie down.  He was conscious at the time and was able to have a conversation, but his condition grew worse.
• a nearby judo therapist was called and he started performing CPR.

UPDATE 12/21 @ 10:30am - Aomori Yamada is planning to hold a press conference regarding the incident at 6pm today.

UPDATE 12/21 @ 9:43am - Aomori Yamada held a press conference today in order to offer an official apology to students, caregivers, and others involved.  They also announced that investigations were ongoing and that school officials were discussing what steps to take next.

UPDATE 12/23 @ 3:12pm - A wake for the first year student was held on 12/22.  About 1,000 people attended.

The nine candidate schools for the 21st Century Bracket were released on Thursday. Three schools will be selected from this list during a selection committee meeting on 1/27/2012. School descriptions taken from Nikkan Sports.

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21st Century Bracket Candidates

The Japan Student Baseball Association (JSBA) held an investigatory meeting today and decided to remand a punishment that was handed down to the manager of Kobayashi High School (Miyazaki) for testing potential students on their baseball skills as part of their entrance exams.  While this is in violation of charter rules, the Japan High School Baseball Federation (JHBF) found, during a recent survey, that of the 192 high schools with sports courses, 29 planned to conduct skill tests during entrance exams for the 2012 school year (27 public and 2 private).

The JHBF has decided to go easy on the 29 schools since they felt it was their fault for not making charter rules clearer and have also allowed the schools to keep their plans intact for the 2012 school year.  The JHBF also submitted a request to the JSBA asking that they remand their punishment of the manager of Kobayashi High School in light of the new facts.

UPDATE 12/15 @ 10:07pm - The JHBF decided today to retract their initial punishment for Kobayashi High School manager due to ignorance.  The Federation also plans to round up board chairmen from all the high school baseball federations in January 2012 to confirm that testing is not included in any plans beginning in 2013.

The Japan Student Baseball Association's (JSBA) head of the secretariat, Masayuki Naito, told reporters on Tuesday that the NPB asked to set up a joint conference to discuss the rules and regulations regarding pro and former pro players practicing with/instructing high school/college players.

Assuming both sides agree, their first meeting could take place in February, followed by additional meetings about once a month.

UPDATE @ 9:14pm - The JSBA held a board of directors meeting today and agreed on the NPB's proposal to set up a joint conference.  Committee members will be decided in January (there will be two university related members and two high school related members).

A baseball team made up of 20 players from various Tokyo High School teams will visiting Los Angeles (Urban Youth Academy) between 12/23 and 12/31.

On Sunday, they played a game against a mixed team made up of first and second year university students from the Tohto University Baseball League and beat them, 5-3.

Team Roster

* team captain

The Japan Student Baseball Association met on the 8th to determine punishments for 13 cases.

Game Suspensions

Kagaku Gijutsu (Shizuoka) - violence within the team, bullying - 3 months beginning on 10/31

Risshisha (Tokyo) - violence within the team, blackmail - 1 year beginning on 10/14

Yomitan (Okinawa) - shoplifting - 1 month beginning on 10/31

Urawa Jitsugyo Gakuen (Saitama) - unauthorized use of a station bicycle parking area - 1 month beginning on 11/2

Takada (Mie) - smoking, larceny, shoplifting - 6 months beginningon 11/8

PL Gakuen (Osaka) - violence within the team, smoking - 1 month beginning on 11/12

Kashiwai (Chiba) - violence within the team - 3 months beginning on 11/10

Kagoshima-Minami (Kagoshima) - violence within the team - 1 month begining on 11/16

Explusions

Yaei (Kanagawa) director - use of stimulants

Suspensions

Okaya Higashi (Nagano) manager - 3 months beginning on 10/31 - violence within the team

Mishima (Shizuoka) director - 1 month beginning on 11/22 - violence within the team

Soshi Gakuen (Okayama) coach - 1 month beginning on 11/19 - violence within the team

Kushiro Hokuyo (Hokkaido) manager - 3 months beginning on 11/18 - violence within the team

University

Game 1

Official Box Score

Yusuke Nomura started the game for Meiji and tossed a complete game shutout (9 IP, 191 P, 27 BF, 4 H, 5 SO, 0 BB/HBP, 0 ER). He also topped out at 146km/h during the 9th inning.

Meiji won the tournament for the fifth time (the first in 15 years).

High School

Game 1

Official Box Score

Tatsuro Hamada started the game for Meiden and struck out 13 over 8 innings of work (8 IP, 171 NP, 41 BF, 11 H, 13 SO, 6 BB/HBP, 5 ER). Hamada struck out a total 40 batters during the tournament, which is good for second most in tournament history.

Kosei Gakuin won the tournament for the first time.

University

Game 1

Official Box Score

Yusuke Nomura started the game for Meiji and tossed 7 shutout innings while striking out 11 (7 IP, 103 P, 26 BF, 2 H, 11 SO, 3 BB/HBP, 0 ER). He also topped out at 144km/h.

Game 2

Official Box Score

High School

Game 1

Official Box Score

Yuki Kanazawa toosed a 4-hit shutout for Kosei (8 IP, 139 NP, 31 BF, 4 H, 13 SO, 4 BB/HBP, 0 ER). He also topped out at 145km/h.

Game 2

Official Box Score

Tatsuro Hamada started the game for Meiden and allowed just 1 run on 8 hits over 8.2 innings of work (8.2 IP, 141 NP, 36 BF, 8 H, 10 SO, 3 BB/HBP, 1 ER).

University

Game 1

Official Box Score

Takahiro Matsuba started the game for Osaka (8.0 IP, 129 NP, 30 BF, 3 H, 11 SO, 4 BB/HBP, 1 ER) and gave up a walk-off solo homer to Yusuke Ogata (1-for-3).

Game 2

Official Box Score

Yasuhiro Ogawa (Soka) tossed a shutout (9 IP, 115 NP, 30 BF, 4 H, 11 SO, 1 BB/HBP, 0 ER).

High School

Game 1

Official Box Score

Game 2

Official Box Score