"I started playing baseball after watching Hanwha." A boy from Nonsan who admired Jung Geun-woo becomes a Cheongju University infielder with a .462 batting average! Cheongju High's Kang In-gyu: "I'll bring back the gold medal" [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Although he fell in love with baseball after watching a Hanwha Eagles game at Hanbat Baseball Stadium, the boy from his hometown of Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do, couldn't even find a place to play and could only practice catch until now. He has now earned the right to wear the national emblem. Kang In-gyu (18), the captain of Cheongju High who achieved his dream, was the first to think of his teammates who were not with him.

Kang In-gyu has been selected for the South Korean youth national team that will compete in the 2026 Asian Baseball Confederation (BFA) U-18 Asian Championship. Under head coach Jung Yun-jin (55), the team finished its final evaluation match against Dong-A University's baseball club today and will aim to reclaim the title at the tournament held from the 7th to the 13th in Taipei, Taiwan.

According to the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) standards, Kang In-gyu stands 187cm tall and weighs 88kg. Over his high school career spanning 53 games, he recorded a .341 batting average (58 hits in 170 at-bats), one home run, 31 RBIs, 38 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.891.

Notably, his skills improved noticeably as he advanced through the grades. This year, his final year, he excelled in 19 games with a .462 batting average (30 hits in 65 at-bats), one home run, 17 RBIs, 24 runs scored, and seven stolen bases, posting a .530 on-base percentage, a .723 slugging percentage, and an OPS of 1.253. Due to the thin roster at Cheongju High, he also took the mound in six games, recording a 2.57 ERA over 6⅔ innings with four strikeouts, contributing to his team's advancement to the Round of 16 in the Bonghwangdaegi tournament.

KBO club scouts also evaluated him as "a player with promising physical attributes and a strong arm, whose growth is expected. He has shown consistent contact ability since his third year and also demonstrated one-hit power."

Hanwha was the starting point where Kang In-gyu began playing baseball. Meeting StarNews recently at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium, he recalled, "Around first grade in elementary school, I went to Hanbat Baseball Stadium to watch a Hanwha game and found it really fun. From then on, I wanted to play baseball."

The players young Kang In-gyu admired were Jung Geun-woo (44) and Lee Yong-gyu (41), who played for Hanwha at the time. Inspired by these two players who displayed fast feet and aggressive play, he nurtured his dream of becoming a baseball player. After spending some time only practicing catch, he accidentally participated in a talent donation event in fourth grade of elementary school and moved to Gongju Middle East Elementary School to pursue elite baseball.

His position was shortstop from the beginning. He also pitched through middle school, and took the mound again this year after a long break. Kang In-gyu said, "Because I have a strong arm, I am confident that if I can just catch the ball, I can get an out. Even for deep hits, I chase them to the end, field them, and throw them at full speed to first base. So I think my defensive range is quite wide." He added with a smile, "I am also confident in my hitting and contact skills. I can hit many hits and I have fast feet. The players I admired when I was young were seniors Jung Geun-woo and Lee Yong-gyu."

Personally, it was a satisfying final high school season. He gave himself a score of 7 to 8 out of 10. However, when the conversation turned to the team, regrets emerged first. Kang In-gyu reflected, "Personally, things went so well that I have no regrets at all. But I am disappointed that our team's results were not good. As captain, my wish was to appear on TV once with my teammates rather than just doing well myself."

He continued, "We have many talented players on our team, and it feels like only I got lucky and performed well, so I feel sorry for them. It would have been great if we all did well together and achieved good results, but that didn't happen, which is disappointing."

That is why the national emblem is even more special. Kang In-gyu set his goal from winter to make the All-Star team and join the youth national team. He said, "I worked so hard in the winter with just this goal in mind; I even matched my guard and glove colors to navy blue." He emphasized, "At first, I felt happy and excited all the time. I thought, 'I really became a national player.' But after training, I realized that instead of excitement, I need to act and train with a sense of responsibility."

Once the national team schedule ends, the KBO rookie draft awaits immediately. However, Kang In-gyu's focus is still on Taiwan. He stated his ambitious plan: "Since we worked hard and earned the right to wear the national emblem, I want to do our best together with my teammates and definitely bring back a gold medal."

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*This content was translated by AI.