150km left-handed pitcher and starting shortstop absent, yet overwhelming victory! How did Chungam High School secure the Golden Saja Cup for the first time in 15 years? [Mokdong Field Report]

*This content was translated by AI.

Chungam High School achieved a national championship despite a difficult situation with numerous injured players, demonstrating overwhelming game performance.

On the 16th, Chungam High School decisively defeated Daejeon High School 10-4 in the final of the 80th Golden Saja Cup National High School Baseball Tournament held at Seoul Mokdong Baseball Stadium.

With this victory, Chungam High School embraced the Golden Saja Cup for the first time since 1990, 2009, and 2011, marking a 15-year gap. Additionally, after winning the Cheongryonggi Cup and the President's Cup in 2021, they captured the championship in a national tournament final five years later, alleviating past regrets.

The path to the championship was not without difficulties. Second-year left-handed ace pitcher Song Seong-jun (17), who throws pitches reaching speeds of up to 150km/h, and starting shortstop Sung Se-ram (18) rested due to minor injuries. To make matters worse, ace Kim Ji-yul (18), who led Chungam High School to the final, could not participate in the championship game due to pitch count restrictions.

However, Chungam High School had Seo Won-jun (19). Seo Won-jun is a right-handed pitcher who underwent surgery on the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of his right elbow after his second-year season and has experience repeating a grade. KBO scouts noted that while his fastball, clocking around 140km/h, is not particularly fast, his ability to operate games by throwing a variety of curves, sliders, and splitters is considered his strength.

It was as expected. Seo Won-jun appeared as the second pitcher, pitching 7 2/3 innings, allowing 5 hits, 1 walk, striking out 7 batters, and giving up 3 earned runs, completing all 105 pitches up to the limit while leading the team's lead. The explosive top-order lineup and the well-structured bottom-order lineup did not give Daejeon High School any room to breathe. Captain and center fielder Jang Min-je (18) led the lineup with 3 hits in 5 at-bats, 2 RBIs, and 2 runs scored. Third baseman Bae Jeong-ho (18) recorded 2 hits in 4 at-bats, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, and 1 stolen base. Right fielder Shin Ji-ho (18) had 3 hits in 4 at-bats, 3 RBIs, and 1 run scored. First baseman Jang Geun-woo (18) recorded 2 hits in 4 at-bats, 2 RBIs, and 1 run scored, while other batters also swung the bat fiercely.

In fact, they seized the momentum early from the beginning. Although Daejeon High School scored first, a powerful top-order lineup tied the game and took the lead with consecutive hits, scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the first inning. The performance of the well-structured bottom-order lineup also stood out. Efforts to draw walks and use sacrifice bunts to create opportunities for the top-order lineup were notable, and the core batters met those expectations.

Lee Young-bok, Chungam High School's head coach, who met with StarNews after the game, stated, "It is difficult to single out any one player as everyone performed well. However, on the pitching side, Kim Ji-yul and Seo Won-jun, who pitched today (the 16th), worked the hardest. On the hitting side, Jang Min-je, Bae Jeong-ho, Shin Ji-ho, and others performed well across the board. Kim Seung-ha also hit a home run in the semi-finals, and there is no player who couldn't contribute."

Praise was also given to second-year Oh Yu-chan (17), who filled the void left by the absent starting shortstop. Head coach Lee Young-bok said, "Oh Yu-chan has played shortstop since middle school, so we thought he would be the most suitable and deployed him. He fulfilled his role not only in defense and offense but also as a pitcher. His control is so good that he came out when the pitchers were shaken and performed really well."

Oh Yu-chan, who played as the starting shortstop in this tournament, recorded a batting average of 0.267 (4 hits in 15 at-bats), 5 RBIs, 2 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases in 6 games. With his naturally strong arm, he also appeared as a relief pitcher on the mound whenever necessary, providing relief for the pitching staff. Oh Yu-chan also came up in the 9th inning today, recorded 1 hit allowed over 2/3 innings without allowing any runs, and became the team's "henga-re" (victory celebration) pitcher. A KBO scout evaluated, "Oh Yu-chan is a second-year student, but he possesses stable defensive skills and decent batting ability that allow him to play as a starting shortstop."

Below are the award details for the 80th Golden Saja Cup National High School Baseball Tournament, which also served as the High School Baseball Weekend League King of Kings Tournament.

Champion: Chungam High School

Runner-up: Daejeon High School

Third Place: Gangneung High School, Gwangju Jeil High School

Choi U-su-seon (수상): Seo Won-jun (Chungam High School pitcher)

Woo Su-tu (수상): Kim Ji-yul (Chungam High School pitcher)

MVP: Han Gyu-min (Daejeon High School pitcher)

Sportsmanship Award: Bae Jeong-ho (Chungam High School third baseman)

Batting Award: Jeon Na-el (Gangneung High School second baseman) - Batting average 0.611 (11 hits in 18 at-bats)

Most RBIs Award: Lee Ho-min (Gyeongnam High School third baseman) - 9 RBIs

Most Hits Award: Jeon Na-el (Gangneung High School second baseman) - 11 hits

Most Runs Scored Award: Jang Min-je (Chungam High School center fielder) - 8 runs

Most Home Runs Award: Lee Ho-min (Gyeongnam High School third baseman) - 2 home runs

Most Stolen Bases Award: Ahn Woo-seok (Gyeongnam High School shortstop) - 6 stolen bases

Coach of the Year Award: Lee Young-bok (Chungam High School head coach)

Manager of the Year Award: Lee Tae-yoon (Chungam High School team manager)

Meritorious Service Award: Lee Yun-chan (Chungam High School principal)

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*This content was translated by AI.