Once they knew who they were facing, they started scouting the other team right away.
The game footage was fairly recent.
Even though the Seidō First String couldn't be there, they sent some camera guys to record Hachiya Oji's whole game.
The other team had made it into the Top 32 in West Tokyo, so they couldn't just brush them off.
Once everyone gathered in the meeting room, they had to watch the whole game footage.
At first, everyone was calm.
Even though the other team wasn't a pushover, their team, being a top national powerhouse, still had a lot of confidence.
West Tokyo is called the 'Devil's Division' for a reason.
There are three top national powerhouses just in this one area.
People even joke about them being the 'Big Three of West Tokyo'.
Any of those teams would be a big deal, even on a national level.
Just having those three powerhouses in one place makes things difficult for everyone else.
And that's not even counting all the other strong schools in West Tokyo, like Sousei High, Seikō Academy, and Koukaidai Sugata High School.
If those teams were in other areas, they'd have a shot at going to Koshien.
Being one of the top powerhouses, Seidō usually crushes other teams, except when they're up against the other two powerhouses or a few other handful opponents.
Even if Hachiya Oji wasn't weak, the players didn't really take them seriously.
But that changed when they started watching the game footage.
The players mood noticeably darkened.
Hachiya Oji's opponent wasn't exactly a pushover.
But during the game, Hachiya Oji completely dominated them.
Their players often seemed to be one step ahead.
They anticipated the other team's every move.
Their performance was polished and precise from start to finish.
The final score was 4-1.
The score alone didn't tell the whole story.
But if you watched the game, you'd see that Hachiya Oji gave their opponents virtually no chances.
After watching the game, the players expressions turned serious.
They began to suspect that Hachiya Oji would be a difficult opponent.
"Is this all the footage we have?" Takigawa asked, a bit skeptic.
He seemed to be picking up on things the other players weren't.
"This is their second-round," Takashima Rei replied, almost like she'd read his mind. She pulled out another tape instantly.
Hachiya Oji's second-round game was pretty much a repeat of the third round.
The final score was 5-1.
It was also a full nine innings, and it was also close until the end.
Even though they gave up one run, they were in control the whole time and didn't give the other team any chances.
Even that one run they gave up seemed like it was on purpose.
"Their pitcher is odd," Miyuki Kazuya observed after watching the second footage.
He was convinced that Hachiya Oji's pitcher was central to their strategy.
Even though those pitches didn't seem all that special, he seemed to guide his teammates to the right spot on the field with every throw.
It was almost like the opponent had it all planned out beforehand.
"Could be more than just the pitcher; maybe the catcher's the one calling the shots," someone suggested, a bit intrigued.
Everyone chimed in with their own opinions and analyses.
Coach Kataoka Tesshin looked on with a smile, pleased to see his players putting their minds to work.
Besides rigorous practice, Kataoka emphasized two key principles in his coaching.
First, he expected his players to think independently.
He needed them to scout their opponents thoroughly and make intelligent choices on the field.
Although Seidō hadn't made it to Koshien in recent years, they consistently produced talented players who went on to play professionally.
Professional teams that recruited them consistently praised their skills and baseball IQ.
The higher you go, strategic thinking becomes increasingly essential.
While innate talent is undeniably important in sports...
It's not something that can be taught.
Furthermore truly gifted players are unfortunately, not very common.
While most players have a comparable level of natural skill, it's still significantly higher than that of the average person. But does anyone make it to the pros without any talent at all?
Among a group like this, it's not a stretch to say that most of the players are just average in terms of talent.
When you're looking at a group of players with similar talent, the ones who are smarter and have a higher baseball IQ are more likely to get ahead.
Besides the smarts, Seidō is also known for how resilient their players are and how much they believe in themselves.
"Alright, so this team's not gonna be a walk in the park; we need to be serious about this. Yoshida's starting the next game. Tanba Kōichirō, get warmed up around the sixth..." Kataoka declared, his voice firm and resolute.
When they heard their names, the two just stood up and affirmed, "Got it coach!" their voices filled with determination.
Kataoka nodded back, then glanced around at the others.
"Catcher, Takigawa Chris Yū!" Kataoka announced, his gaze fixed on Takigawa.
He just nodded and confirmed he was good to go.
With the pitcher and catcher decided, Kataoka moved on to adjust the batting lineup.
"First batter, Kusunoki Fumiya."
"Second batter, Yoshida."
"Third batter, Isashiki Jun!"
"Fourth Batter, Azuma Kiyokuni!"
"Fifth batter, Kadota Masaaki!"
"Sixth batter, Takigawa Chris Yū."
Then he paused for a moment.
The usual seventh batter looked up, surprised.
He's a third-year player, and a decent batter.
But on a team like theirs, where everyone's a good batter, he doesn't really stand out that much.
That's why he usually batted seventh.
Wait, could it be...?
"Seventh batter, Yamamoto Takumi!" Kataoka called out, with a hint of anticipation.
Looks like he changed his mind about letting Takumi sit this one out.
He's gotta play!
He needs to play.
It'd be ideal if everyone just saw him as just another batter.
Takumi was a bit taken aback, but he still stood up and responded, "Yes coach!"