The 2019 MLB Beijing International School Baseball Invitational Tournament was held at the International School of Beijing (ISB) by the organizing committee of the MLB (China) Junior Baseball League on September 14-15. HKWA’s baseball team won the championship.

The U14 Baseball Club team of HKWA was officially established in August 2019. It is young now, yet the children have grown beyond expectations.

Facing the high-intensity schedule of four innings a day, our team members gathered early on the field to warm up for each round. The game produced both pressure and motivation for HKWA’s little demoiselle cranes.

Highlights

The first inning kicked off at 8:30 a.m. With the extraordinary performance of Pitcher William Ye and perfect teamwork, HKWA’s baseball club won 8-0 against the Shark International League.

At 13:15, the second inning began. Since our main pitcher was injured, our players slowly adjusted their mentality, and resulted in multiple mistakes and revealed some problems. The opponents seized the opportunity and stole six points.

After the roller coaster ups and downs, our players quickly adjusted to the challenge against the Tiger International League. Seizing the good opportunity, the little demoiselle cranes stayed focused on and quickly adjusted themselves, and they lived up to expectations, winning the inning 12:6!

The final inning was intense and the scores of both sides chased each other, leading to three extended innings. Much tired from catching, passing, running and moving, our players must maintain a high level of tension mentally.

The third inning was extended and there were our players at first and second bases. One of our players was out and the opponents were already in the scoring circle. Our first baseman Eason Li took a fly ball straight to first base and made a double play to help his teammates hold on to the inning. The score then was 3:3.

In the second extended inning, the strong opponent was in control. Even being tired, our players did not dare to relax the defense. The opponent scored a run. In the second half of the inning, Kevin Wang made a key run on a defensive mistake and scored a run at the critical moment when two of our players were out. The score was 4:4, and once again the game was extended.

The anxious and intense game tested the pressure resistance of the players on both sides. In a tight game that tested both teams’ ability to withstand pressure, our player Alfred Wang hit and sent the two players on the base back to home base. The game ended with a goodbye home run.

Coaches: students did a good job.

Head coaches Gary Li and Ada Wang said that the students finished a good job in the game. What did they say about the players? Let us take a look.

Captain Eason Li

As the players were easy to lose their energy for the high-intensity game schedule, Eason reminded them to stay focused on the court, encouraged them to go for it when the offense wasn’t going well, and shut down multiple first bases and a double play.

Pitcher Alfred Wang

Pitcher Alfred, a veteran of baseball games, played with the team at the Nanjing camp. He is a very good pitcher and has a good mental quality. He was a key pitcher in the game, doing his job well and not allowing any runs.

Rookie pitcher William Ye

William was a pitcher who started his practice only when he was in the Nanjing camp and did well in the game. He showed good psychological quality; he was calm on the court and finished a very stable and eye-catching job that made opponents go up and down three times in two innings.

Center of defense on the court Richard Qin, Kevin Wang

Richard and Kevin were at the heart of defense on the court, playing shortstop and second baseman respectively. Most of the ball went in either direction. In the final, the two of them cooperated and finished the defense task very well. All the balls were blocked inside the court, without giving the opponent a chance to score.

Third baseman Kevin Xiang

Kevin was affectionately known to his teammates as “being fat and agile”. He moved very fast and had a wide range on the court. When an opponent hit a cross ball, he ran quickly, but still missed by one position. Kevin made a fly-and-catch and took the ball to help his teammates keep the next inning.

Catcher Jerry Chen

Jerry is the fastest growing player. A student pitcher’s first pitching is the biggest test for the catcher, as the former’s pitching might be unstable and there is a good chance of a violent pitch. The catcher must catch the ball and block it in front of him. Jerry was told by his coach to block the ball in front anyway. He was demanding of himself, and did as the coach told him in the following innings. Even if the ball missed, Jerry picked it up quickly and passed it to the pitcher, keeping him at home base and his opponent from scoring.

Outfielder Ben Hu, Thomas BAO, Ethan Wang, Johny Guo

Outfielders are the last line of defense on the baseball field. If the ball passes in front of outfielders, it is likely to form a third base hit or even a home run. However, these students were competent and finished a good job that no such things happened in the game.

HKWA “3+1” PE Class

HKWA’s PE Class adopts the standards of Michigan in USA, in accordance with the training requirements for future higher education talents in terms of sports skills and cognition.

Every year, HKWA’s PE Class consists of eight parts, each of which lasts four weeks. Students will have “3+1” PE Class in every week, which means that three classes are taught by foreign and Chinese teachers and one by HKWA’s professional sports coach. A variety of sports and games are set up for the needs of students at different phases of development, and for their further development in the field of sports as well.

Apart from regular PE classes, students with special skills are welcomed in a variety of extended courses, such as synchronized swimming, golf, tennis, fencing, etc. HKWA adopts a systematic record and professional evaluation system that record the progress of the students technically and manage their willpower and behaving habits.

HKWA recruiting for new term!

The places for baseball, football, swimming, tennis, fencing, synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics are limited!

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