Ulsan, a city known for its soccer team, has a baseball team competing at the national level.

The club team, Ulsan Gongo BC, became the center of attention this week by defeating Gyeongju and Pohang Steel in the second half of the 2023 High School Baseball Weekend League in the Gyeongsangbuk-do Region B, the two rivalries in Gyeongbuk baseball.

In addition, a win against Gyeongbuk High School in the final game of the second half of the weekend league on the 1st will give the team a chance to win one of the three berths in the Gyeongsangbuk-do Region B based on the winner-take-all, minimum-goals principle.

“Many people in the Ulsan area still don’t know that Ulsan has a baseball team,” said Ulsan Gongo BC head coach Hong Woo-tae with a wry smile.

Hong is an accomplished coach with 15 years of experience in the professional ranks as a player and coach, and in the amateur ranks as a coach and manager at his alma mater, Seongnam Go. He is considered to be an expert in pitcher training and pitching staff building, as his team set a record in the now-defunct Daebungi National High School Baseball Tournament in 2007, when they completed five consecutive games in a row.

Hong’s unique approach to pitcher development is based on his own philosophy.

“The importance of not only limiting the number of pitches a pitcher can throw, but also preventing overuse injuries from back-to-back pitches cannot be overemphasized in baseball,” he said. “Even professional athletes pitch on a six-day cycle, and you don’t want to overwork a player who hasn’t even finished developing their body for the sake of a win or a grade.”

“If you go on the mound and ask them if they can throw more pitches, they’ll say yes, and sometimes they don’t want to get off the mound because they don’t want to lose. You have to manage those things. That’s what coaches are for.”

Hong’s basic philosophy is that high school pitchers, who are still learning and growing, should know when to get off the mound and should not hesitate to do so if they feel unwell during a game.

One of the best features of the Ulsan Gongo BC is that they post their pitching staff and games, as well as their monthly training schedule on their band. With this information, it is possible to predict the starting rotation, training locations, and who will be playing.

“Our team’s biggest pride is that we don’t get intimidated and lose games just because we meet a strong team,” said Hong. “Although we don’t have the best skills, the steady basic training and the atmosphere of openness between coaches and players, lots of conversations, encouragement rather than reprimands, and the atmosphere of having fun and exercising without looking at each other seem to be the driving force for the players to stand up to the competition.”바카라사이트

Ulsan Gongo BC’s final opponent in the second half of the weekend league is Kyungpook National University, which will punch their ticket to the Presidential High School Baseball Tournament with a win.

“We haven’t won a game against Kyungpook National University since I took over in 2019,” said Hong. Since the team’s inception in 2010, we have a 1-11 record against them. It won’t be easy, but we want to win the fight with a 9% chance and create a baseball boom in the soccer city of Ulsan.”