Jangchung High School’s ‘super prospect’ Hwang Jun-seo may not have been on the mound, but he was flying at the plate.
Jangchung High School punched its ticket to the round of 16 with a 9-2 win over Gunsan Sangil High School in the round of 32 of the 78th Cheongnyonggi National Baseball Championship at Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul on 19 April.
While Jang Hyun-seok (Masan Yongmago) was the centre of attention in the first game of the day, it was Hwang Jun-seo who stole the show in the match between Jang Chung-go and Gunsan Sang-il-go. Hwang Jun-seo is a left-handed “top prospect” who could be the first overall pick if Jang Hyun-seok decides not to enter the KBO Draft and instead signs with a Major League Baseball team and takes on the challenge. If Jang Hyun-seok stays in Korea, Hwang Jun-seo will likely end up with the Doosan Bears, who hold the second overall pick, and vice versa for the Hanwha Eagles.
At the game, which was attended by many scouts, Hwang Jun-seo started the game as a hitter, batting fifth in the line-up instead of pitching. It’s not that he hasn’t been a hitter before, but he hadn’t managed to get on base before. However, he showed off his versatility by scoring a run and getting a hit in his first high school at-bat.
In the bottom of the second inning, with the score tied at 0-0, Hwang drew a walk in his first at-bat. He then stole second on a sacrifice bunt by Yang Seung-wan, advanced to third on a throwing error, and came home on a wild pitch. His first high school hit followed by his first run.
Hwang Jun-seo’s ‘good eye’ continued to shine. In his second at-bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning with a 3-0 lead, Hwang Jun-seo drew a walk, just as he did in his first at-bat. He then stole second base on an infield single by Yang Seung-wan, but this time he was unable to capitalise as he was unable to follow up with a hit.
The first hit came in the third inning. In the bottom of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and the score 4-0, Hwang Jun-seo attempted a surprise bunt against Gunsan Sangil High School’s Jung Min-sung, and the ball rolled between the pitcher and first baseman, giving Hwang his first high school hit.
In the top of the sixth inning, Hwang Jun-seo, who warmed up for Jang Chung-go but did not take the mound, stepped up to the plate for the fourth time with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning with a 5-3 lead. A golden opportunity to collect his first career RBI. But this time it was Gunsan Sang and Jung Min-sung who struck out looking.
He was ready to take the mound. However, Hwang Jun-seo’s chance to pitch never came. In the case of the Cheongnyonggi, a ‘cold game’ is declared when the score reaches seven runs in the seventh or eighth inning, and Jang Chung-go scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat Gunsan Sangilgo 9-2 and advance to the round of 16 on a cold game basis, so Hwang Jun-seo did not pitch in the round of 32.
Hwang Jun-seo, who batted and helped Jang Chung-go reach the round of 16, said, “I tried to play as hard as I could without causing any damage to my teammates, and it paid off. I’ve been proud of my batting since I was in middle school, and I think I had a fun game today,” he laughed, adding about his first run and score, “I felt so good when I got out (scoring). Next time I want to get a hit,” he smiled.토스카지노
“I was just trying to play it safe and get the runners to second base, so I was lucky,” he said. “I felt good as soon as I hit it, but I think I was a little embarrassed because I got pushed out,” he added about his cool bat flip on a foul ball in the second inning.
This was not the first time Hwang Jun-seo had stepped up to the plate, but he surprised his teammates by making a number of personal records on the day. “My teammates were like, ‘What are you doing?'” he said, “One of the players was sick and couldn’t come out, so I think I filled in well. I want to make good memories based on my good performance,” he said, adding, “I will gain confidence through today’s game and try to reach higher heights.”