'KBO's No. 1 candidate' Deoksu Eom Jun-sang, equipped with new weapons, leads the 153km fastball + full base home run → 4th victory. "I will show my best strength.""

*This content was translated by AI.

Eom Joon-sang (18, Deoksu High School), the "No. 1 overall candidate," led Deoksu High School to his 27th and fourth individual national championships with a strong performance in both pitching and batting.

Deoksu won 12-6 over Yatapo in the final of the 2026 Shinsegae E-Mart Cup National High School Baseball Tournament at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 12th.

It is already the fourth national championship for Um Jun-sang. Having been a main player since his freshman year, he led Deoksu High School to victory this time as a captain, following E-Mart Bae in 2024, Golden Lion Flag National High School Baseball Tournament in 2025, and Cheongryonggi in 2025. The final result of the tournament was a shortstop batting average of 0.304 (7 hits in 23 at-bats), one homer, eight RBIs and three runs, and five outs (three walks) with two strikeouts. As a pitcher, he marked a 1.23 ERA with one win and no loss in four games and one walk and 10 strikeouts in seven ⅓ innings.

A KBO club scout who watched the tournament told Star News, "The shortstop defense is impeccable. "The throwing, the sensational part and the defensive completeness are the highest among the fielders at the moment," he said. He said, "The early record in the batting was not good, but the percentage of hitting is slightly lower as I want to do well. There were a little less in-play hits because the ball count fight became disadvantageous and he couldn't take his swing. However, it is believed that there are no balance or technical problems. "If I can control my mind a little better, my grades will improve," he said.

It was a final match that perfectly relieved the regret that was pointed out. Um Jun-sang, who started as Deoksu's fourth batter and shortstop, hit a grand slam from his first at-bat in the first inning. In the second inning, he walked to four pitches on purpose, and in the fourth inning, he succeeded in getting on base for the third time by causing an opponent's error with a surprise bunt. As a batter, his performance was one hit in three at-bats (one home run), one walk, four RBIs and two runs.

From the seventh inning, he took the mound as a pitcher and finished the game with one hit and no outs in three innings. The last fastball to confirm the championship, consistently throwing a fast ball of more than 150 kilometers per hour, hit the highest speed of the day at 153.1 kilometers per hour.

Naturally, he won the MVP award. He also received the Order of Merit as a shortstop. Um Joon-sang, who met with reporters after the final, said, "Before entering the tournament, I tried to raise it somehow because I had a bad hitting sense in the weekend league. This home run seems to have been an opportunity to grow further. The final score is 80. Other than home runs, I was disappointed at the plate and wanted to defend, but the opportunity did not come," he said.

As for the grand slam and the final fastball, "The opposing pitcher was slow and unable to control the ball. "As I went to the batter's box a little more leisurely, I think I got a good hit," he said. "I really wanted to strike out with my fastball on the last ball to confirm the championship. So even though the catcher signed a breaking ball, he said no," he said with a smile. "I said I would go to the fastball unconditionally and threw it with all my might, but I think I got the maximum arrest."

He did not make excuses for poor batting at the beginning of the third year season. Um Jun-sang said, "I'm receiving more attention than I thought, but if I see such a part on the field, I got a little bit of strength. These days, I just go with the mindset of doing my own thing. As a result, I think I'm getting better little by little," he said.

Um Jun-sang, along with Ha Hyun-seung (18) of Busan High School and Kim Ji-woo (18) of Seoul High School, is called the No. 1 overall candidate in the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft to be held later this year. Major League Baseball (ML) is also attracting attention, but in a broadcast interview before the start of the finals, he prioritized entering the KBO.

Even with a relatively disappointing physical specification than competitors, he is still putting both pitchers and batters in trouble for KBO clubs with his natural sense. The player himself is so attached to the position that he wears No. 6, which is also called the shortstop number.

In response, Um Jun-sang said, "A shortstop is a position I've been in since I was in the first grade of elementary school. I also like to defend, and I feel more attached to No. 6 because it symbolizes shortstop. The pitcher doesn't practice that much and he's going up when he needs to. However, when I go to the professional league, I plan to fit the team's situation," he said.

As a pitcher, he has never been lazy in his development. As a pitcher, Um Jun-sang threw sliders, curves close to 3,000 RPM, and changeups. However, this time, he brought a new weapon with a slightly improved fork, burning it and drawing a swing from batters.

Um Jun-sang said, "I thought if I'm going to do it right, I'll do it right, so I thought it's right to see the end if I'm going to be a pitcher," adding, "I originally held the fork ball deep and threw it, but it didn't work out well." "I couldn't use it as a decision ball because it was hard for the catchers to catch it as I went without a turn," he explained. "I was discussing with the pitching coach and caught it a little thinly and threw it like a splitter, but rather, my control was good and my speed increased. We will continue to do this," he added.

As a result, Deoksu won the 5th E-Mart Cup, including when he was the chairman of the association, his predecessor. It also increased its record of unbeaten national finals, which began in the Golden Lion Flag National High School Baseball Tournament of 2016, to 12 consecutive years. It is Deoksu's 27th national championship. Deoksu High School has won five E-Mart competitions, seven Golden Lion Flag National High School Baseball Tournament competitions, seven Cheongryonggi competitions, two presidential competitions, three Bonghwanggi competitions, and three national competitions.

Um Jun-sang emphasized, "There is a part where I am currently poor in batting average, and I want to raise it a little more and show the best I can show and finish the season." "I learned baseball to keep winning at Deoksu High School. There was this result because I emulated good baseball from my older brothers. Thanks to this, I also played without being nervous. I also want to continue this tradition by showing good performance to my juniors," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.