'Hanwha-born Coach Jang Jae-hyeok' Sejong City Youth Baseball Team Wins Suncheon Gangcheonsan Cup, Secures Triple Crown of the Season

*This content was translated by AI.

Sejong City Youth Baseball Team has emerged as the top youth baseball team by securing a triple crown this season.

Led by Coach Jang Jae-hyeok, a former pitcher for Hanwha Eagles, Sejong City Youth Baseball Team defeated Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team 12-3 in the U-13 Blue Dragon final of the 10th Suncheon Gangcheonsan National Youth Baseball Tournament held on the 17th to claim the championship.

Organized by the Korea Youth Baseball Federation (President Lee Sang-geun), the tournament ran for six days from the 12th at Paldeok Baseball Stadium and other venues in Suncheon County, Jeollabuk-do, with over 3,000 participants including players and parents from 126 teams. Competitions were held across seven divisions—Sae-sak League (U-9), Dream-namuri League (U-11), Youth League (U-12 & U-13), and Junior League (U-16)—through preliminary group stages and a knockout tournament format to determine the champions.

In the Youth League (U-13) Blue Dragon final, considered the strongest youth baseball league, Sejong City faced Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team, which had won the Suncheon Gochujang Cup in June and boasted a powerful batting trio of Park Do-hyeok, Kim Hyun-jung, and Kwon Tae-hyung.

Daejeon Seo-gu took an early 3-0 lead with a grand slam home run by Jang Hyeon-seong in the bottom of the second inning, followed by a left-field single from Kwon Tae-hyung and a walk by Kim Dong-jun in the fourth. They added two more runs via Kang Min-soo's RBI double to center-left field and Jang Hyeon-seong's RBI single to left field. However, Sejong City mounted a comeback starting with Kim Sung-ha's solo home run over the left-field fence in the bottom of the fourth, launching a seven-hit rally that produced a massive seven-run inning to take a 7-3 lead.

Sejong City added five more runs in the bottom of the fifth through sacrifice hits by Yoon Chae-hwan and Seong Jeon-woo, ultimately lifting the championship trophy.

Kim Sung-ha (Sejong City Youth Baseball Team), who recorded three hits in four at-bats with three RBIs including a solo home run during the comeback, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). Jang Hyeon-seong (Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team) and Kim Tae-woo (Sejong City Youth Baseball Team) shared Woo Su-seon (수상).

MVP Kim Sung-ha said, "I am truly happy to win the final youth Blue Dragon tournament and receive Choi U-su-seon (수상) as well. Thanks to Coach Jang Jae-hyeok and the coaching staff who taught us fundamentals one by one, we were able to achieve such great results. I am grateful for their constant dedication. I also want to thank our parents who always support us and our friends who give us strength." He added, "My role model is KIA Tigers' Kim Do-young. Like him, I hope to become a player who excels in all aspects of offense, defense, and base running while giving his best to baseball every day. I will continue to practice harder and strive to become an even better player."

Coach Jang Jae-hyeok of Sejong City Youth Baseball Team, who received the tournament's Coach of the Year award, stated, "I am truly happy and grateful to conclude our seventh-grade players' final baseball tournament with such a valuable result as winning the championship. Above all, I want to sincerely thank our players for never giving up until the end and doing their absolute best. Even during difficult training sessions or when games did not go as planned, their ability to trust each other and give their utmost effort is something we are incredibly proud of. This victory is a precious outcome born from the time the players spent sweating and working together, just as much as the result itself."

He continued, "I also want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the parents who have silently supported our children from the sidelines and accompanied them through every training session and tournament. It was only possible for coaches and staff to teach baseball to these children because of the trust and consideration shown by the parents. Although there were challenging schedules and various difficulties along the way, we are truly thankful that you stayed with us until the end. We will continue to sincerely support our children's future."

Lee Sang-geun (Chairman) of the Korea Youth Baseball Federation remarked, "The August Suncheon Gangcheonsan Cup is the final tournament for seventh-grade (middle school first-year) players, so as this event draws to a close, both the players and I feel deeply moved. Moving forward, we will continue to support and stand by them from behind as they grow into excellent athletes in middle and high school." He added, "We are also grateful to Suncheon County Mayor Choi Young-il for preparing an outstanding tournament every year, and to the residents of Suncheon who have united to wish for its success. We will do our utmost to contribute to expanding the base of youth baseball and revitalizing the local economy."

This tournament was sponsored by Jeollabuk-do Province, Suncheon County, SOOP, and Baseball Bat Dominion. The final match was broadcast live via TV through SOOP, with commentary provided by caster So Dae-soo and commentator Oh Hyun-taek, a former player for Doosan and Lotte.

● Sae-sak League (U-9) ▲ Winner – Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team (Coach Heo Yoon) ▲ Runner-up – Chungnam Cheonan City Youth Baseball Team (Coach Hwang Min-ho) ▲ MVP Park Si-wan (Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team)

● Dream-namuri League (U-11) ▲ Winner – Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Young-joo) ▲ Runner-up – Jeonnam Mokpo City Youth Baseball Team (Coach Kim Sang-hoon) ▲ MVP Han Federal Reserve (Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team)

● Dream-namuri League (U-11) Hyunmu ▲ Winner – Chungnam Nonsan City Youth Baseball Team (Coach Shin Jeong-ik) ▲ Runner-up – Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Young-joo) ▲ MVP Kim Seon-yul (Chungnam Nonsan City Youth Baseball Team)

● Youth League (U-12) ▲ Winner – Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Young-joo) ▲ Runner-up – Jeonnam Mu-an County Youth Baseball Team (Coach Kim Dong-seong) ▲ MVP Park Se-won (Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team)

● Youth League (U-13) Blue Dragon ▲ Winner – Sejong City Youth Baseball Team (Coach Jang Jae-hyeok) ▲ Runner-up – Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Sang-gyu) ▲ MVP Kim Sung-ha (Sejong City Youth Baseball Team)

● Youth League (U-13) White Tiger ▲ Winner – Jeonnam Mokpo City Youth Baseball Team (Coach Kim Sang-hoon) ▲ Runner-up – Gyeonggi Guri City Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Min-cheol) ▲ MVP Lee Ji-yong (Jeonnam Mokpo City Youth Baseball Team)

● Junior League (U-16) ▲ Winner – Sejong Public SC (Coach Kim Seung-kwon) ▲ Runner-up – Daegu Dalseong County BC (Coach Lee Sang-hak) ▲ MVP Bae Jun-hyeok (Sejong Public SC)

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*This content was translated by AI.