*This content material was translated by AI.
Founded in 2020, this two-year college’s baseball crew has emerged as a rising powerhouse in collegiate baseball. The crew is led by head coach Lee Seung-jong of Busan University of Science and Technology (Busan과기대).
Since its founding in 2020, Busan University of Science and Technology gained the U-League championship inside three years. Last yr, it additionally claimed each the President’s Cup and the National Sports Festival titles. The crew has not solely achieved robust outcomes but in addition produced 5 KBO rookie draft alternatives inside six years of its founding, beginning with Choi Hyun-seok (SSG Landers). Including improvement gamers, almost 20 athletes have donned skilled uniforms.
The faculty not recruits solely from the Busan area. There at the moment are instances of “baseball study abroad” from Seoul and different metropolitan areas touring all the approach to Busan. Kwak Byung-jin (20), a graduate of Seoul High School and this yr’s prime collegiate baseball prospect, boldly boarded the “Train to Busan” KTX after listening to that Busan University of Science and Technology is recognized for its robust baseball program.
How did a newly based two-year college grow to be a powerhouse in collegiate baseball? Head coach Lee Seung-jong gave a simple reply. In an interview with StarNews, he mentioned, “For us, class is baseball. We play games every day, even in winter.”
Busan University of Science and Technology operates in a different way from typical college baseball groups. The baseball crew has its personal devoted curriculum inside the Department of Rehabilitation Exercise and Health. This was made doable by way of cooperation between the faculty administration and Lee Eun-ju (Prof.) of the division. Coach Lee defined, “Normally, university students take classes mixed with general students, but our baseball team takes classes together as a unit, which feels natural. Mr./Ms. Lee Eun-ju (Prof.) serves as the team manager and oversees operations.”
He added, “On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, we attend regular classes such as rehabilitation massage, while on Thursdays and Fridays, we take baseball-specific classes. Even defensive drills led by coaches count as coursework. I believe this approach may be the first of its kind nationwide.”
Since courses and coaching will not be separated, the quantity of video games has naturally elevated. Busan University of Science and Technology successfully begins its season in February with the Winter League. During the semester, after afternoon courses finish, the crew performs apply video games, and any remaining gaps are stuffed with nighttime coaching again at college. The crew performs round 120 video games per yr and often hosts doubleheaders when essential.
Coach Lee remarked, “Compared to other schools, our training volume is quite high, so it must be tough.” He mirrored, “When we first started, I believed that players needed significant skill development to reach the professional level, so we worked hard. But working hard alone wasn’t enough.”
Through trial and error, the crew naturally developed its personal know-how. Coach Lee acknowledged, “At first, it was difficult to beat four-year universities. There was a huge physical gap between first-year and fourth-year college players. So we began with systematic weight training.” He continued, “Players who lacked strength in high school typically see their physique and skeletal structure fully develop by ages 20–21, gaining significant strength. If we refine their technique at that point and provide ample experience, excellent results follow. Training intensively during the right developmental period leads to substantial skill growth.”
To determine promising younger skills rapidly, the scouting course of started early. Having served as a coach at Seoul Jungang High School, Busan Gaeseong High School, and Suncheon Hyochon High School, Coach Lee doesn’t hesitate to journey nationwide — whether or not to Gwangju or Incheon — to discover gifted gamers. He defined, “If you look only at statistics, you see only the already skilled players. My goal is to find players with potential, even if they are currently a bit lacking. Players with good physical attributes, solid throwing mechanics, and strong work ethic tend to improve significantly. Even those with less ideal physical traits can be recruited if their movement mechanisms are sound.”
Investment in teaching employees is one other power of Busan University of Science and Technology. The crew presently employs two pitching coaches and three place coaches, with additional specialization into hitting, battery, and infield protection coaches. This stage of staffing is distinctive given that almost all college baseball groups usually have just one or two coaches total. As a end result, place gamers hardly ever want to depend on exterior coaching services.
Coach Lee acknowledged firmly, “Players don’t worry about going to external training facilities. They only need to follow the scheduled training times. The same applies to leisure activities. If such distractions hinder their athletic performance, it’s solely their own loss. If their skills decline, they won’t even be allowed to play in games.”
He added with a smile, “Especially for position players, almost no one goes to external training facilities. Our coaches provide continuous feedback. That’s why I highly value our coaching staff. In this era of advanced media, when players trust and follow their coaches’ instructions, it reflects excellent leadership.”
The crew supplies as many equal alternatives as doable to its roughly 50 baseball members. For occasion, ace pitcher Kwak Byung-jin threw the most innings on the crew final season in official video games — 28⅔ innings. This demonstrates the crew’s operational philosophy of not counting on any single participant.
Coach Lee emphasised, “As a joke, our players actually get happy when someone gets injured because it means they might get a chance to play. If they perform well in practice games and show good form, they believe they can earn spots in official games, so everyone trains hard.”
He additional defined, “In collegiate baseball, there is no limit on pitch counts. To achieve results, you could rely on one or two pitchers, but we don’t make any pitcher throw 100 pitches per game. Instead, we give opportunities to other players. It’s not easy to achieve good results while giving everyone a chance. However, strong performance is essential for frequent professional selections. Even when it’s difficult, the coach’s role is to balance both results and player development.”
Busan University of Science and Technology’s rise as a rising powerhouse in a short while was no coincidence. It resulted from a mix of its baseball-specific class construction, almost 120 real-game experiences per yr, funding in teaching employees, and an operational strategy that offers gamers who missed out on drafts one other probability to compete. This is additionally why Seoul prospects select to take the “Train to Busan.”
*This content material was translated by AI.