'Including Korea's First Female National Team Player Choi Seo-yun,' South Korean U-12 National Team Takes on Asia! The 12th Asian Youth Baseball Tournament Kicks Off

*This content was translated by AI.

For the first time in history, a female player has been included in the Republic of Korea's under-12 (U-12) baseball national team, which will now challenge for the top spot in Asia.

The Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA) announced that "Head Coach Maeng Il-hyeok (Baema Middle School, Gyeonggi Province) will lead Lee Kkeu-neun (CEO)team to participate in the '12th Asian Youth Baseball Championship (Under-12)' held from the 9th to the 15th at the Guoli Youth Baseball Stadium in Hangzhou, China."

For this U-12 national team, coaches Lee Young-guk (Seoul Yeoksam Elementary) and Lee Sang-ho (Daegu Chilseong Elementary) have joined as assistants. The squad consists of 22 members in total, including 15 players, trainers, and support staff.

Notably, the U-12 national team features several key players who have previously led their respective teams to victory in various national tournaments in 2026. Players from Gado Elementary (Lee Seung-woo, Lee Tae-ha, Kim Seo-jin, Yu Young-gwang, Kim Yun) and Seokgyo Elementary (Im Seung-hoo), who led their schools to national championship titles, along with standout performers from Bucheon Buk Elementary (Yeo Ha-jun, Bae Jeong-woo, Cha Tae-min), are expected to form the core of Lee Beon (CEO)team.

The most eye-catching player is Choi Seo-yun, captain of Gwangju Seoseok Elementary and the first female player ever selected for the under-12 national baseball team. As team captain, she is highly regarded for her exceptional leadership, wide defensive range in the outfield, and powerful hitting ability.

The U-12 national team was assembled on the 30th of last month and conducted position-specific training at Daecheok Baseball Stadium and Jangheung Baseball Stadium. Following this, they sharpened their competitive readiness through practice matches against middle school teams including Hongeun Middle School, Jamshin Middle School, Daechi Middle School, and Hwimun Middle School.

To ensure player safety and manage physical conditions amid consecutive days of extreme heat, daytime training was relocated to Goyang Indoor Baseball Practice Field, and practice matches were rescheduled for nighttime. A total of eight countries will participate in this tournament, divided into Group A (Japan, Philippines, China, Pakistan) and Group B (South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand) for preliminary round-robin play.

Based on the preliminary results, top teams will advance to the "Super Round," while lower-ranked teams will compete in the "Ranking Match." The final standings will determine the medalists. South Korea, placed in Group B, played its first match against Thailand at 4:30 p.m. on the 9th, followed by matches against Taiwan on the 10th and Hong Kong on the 11th, aiming to secure a spot in the Super Round.

The U-12 national team is scheduled to return home through Incheon International Airport at 6:15 p.m. on the 16th after completing all tournament fixtures.

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*This content was translated by AI.