“Thanks to the support of the military and residents, I was able to create a good baseball team. I will not forget my gratitude and will work hard to repay them with my performance.”
Coach Baek Jae-ho, who took over the helm of the Sangdong High School baseball team on Sept. 9, said this in an interview with this newspaper and vowed to build a strong team. Baek won a gold medal with Park Chan-ho, Seo Jae-ng, and Kim Byung-hyun at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok and made a name for himself as a second baseman for the Hanwha Eagles. Baek, who has no ties to Yeongwol, chose to join the Sangdong High School baseball team for a “virtuous cycle. “I’ve benefited a lot as a baseball player and coach,” he said. I wanted to give back and help the kids at Sangdongo with what I received.”
In addition, Baek’s challenge to become the first head coach of the Sangdongo baseball team was recommended by former Lotte coach Yang Seung-ho, who is an alumnus of Shinil High School. “I know it’s a difficult environment, and it’s hard to be a founding coach, especially to get good results,” he said, “but I wanted to try it, and I think it’s good that I can focus on the players in a more free environment thanks to the generous support of the military.”
The 14 players, who started training in June, are growing under Baek’s leadership. “Thanks to the town mayor’s attention, we are using the gateball field as an indoor practice field and training on rainy days and at night,” he said. “We are not yet able to train at school, but we are looking for Yeongwol Baseball Field, Taebaek Baseball Field, and Shindong Baseball Field and going there once in a while.”
The first official debut of the Sangdong High baseball team will be in the weekend league next year. “For now, we are aiming for the quarterfinals,” Baek said. “Even if we lose a game, we want to make it a team with a good reason and never give up.” 파워볼사이트