The Sungkyun Times

By Park Ha-neul_ Reporter

qoosori@skku.edu

The Sungkyunkwan University baseball team was founded in 1946.  Last year, the team was crowned winner of the Autumn League, and they also brought home the National University Baseball Championship Title in July.  The SKKU baseball team has a reputation for turning out famous players such as Kim In-sik, the manager of the Hanhwa Eagles, and Kim Byung-hyun, a player in the Major Leagues. Currently, there are 26 players, with two players on the injury list, who are training under Manager Lee Yeon-su, and Coaches Suk Su-cheol and Nam In-hwan.  Now, let's listen to their stories.

The team's victory at the National University Baseball Championship in 44 years was highlighted by the media.  However, under the guidance of Manager Lee Yeon-su, the team had already possessed the titles of all championships except one – The National University Baseball Championship.  By capturing the national title, the team accomplished a grand slam.  The SKKU baseball team often suffered from a slew of injuries during games and practices.  Fortunately, during this year's championship series only a few players got injured, and this helped the team perform well in the championships.  Lee Hee-geun, the team's captain, was chosen MVP of the tournament. "Even though I was named MVP, I'm happier that the team won.  I was just lucky to win the MVP," he said.

The thing that makes university baseball league appealing is its priority as a team sport. Many professional baseball players move from team to team according to the annual salaries offered, and they just focus on improving their skills as a baseball player.  Of course it is important for university players to enter the professional league, but the solidarity as a team is much more important with university teams than professional ones.  What makes the SKKU team special is the team’s well-organized play compared to other teams in the league.  The manager of the team, Lee Yeon-su, says, "Our team members know that the concept of “we” is more important than individual play in baseball."

The SKKU baseball team is known for training its players harder than other university teams.  Practice takes place every day, except Sundays, from morning to evening.  The team consists of students from the Sport and Science Department who study like any other students.  Therefore, some players find it difficult to focus on training and school work at the same time.

Particularly when players reach their 4th year, they find themselves in a lot of stress regarding their future.  If a player is not drafted by the big leagues, they usually go on to graduate school or find other things to do.  Manager Lee says, "By establishing amateur teams, I hope that it will take some pressure off the students and help with their futures."

In the old days, many SKKU students went to cheer for their team. However, these days, the number of students that go to the stadiums to watch the team play has drastically diminished. Manager Lee said that the SKKU baseball team needs a lot of support from SKKU students for the team to perform better.  Players are training vigorously for the next tournament.  They want to defend their crown by winning the next tournament.  Park Dae-won, a junior member of the team, says, "We want to do it again in the next championship.  And next year, when I become a senior, I want to lead the team as a central player.”  We at the SKT also hope that the team will win again in the next championship.

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