Beyond ‘hosts’ Hong Kong… ‘youngest’ Kwak Min-jung to start against Hong Kong

Beyond hosts Hong Kong!

After punching their ticket to the 2023 Baseball World Cup by reaching the ‘Super Round’ (quarter-finals) of the Asian Cup (BFA) in Hong Kong, the South Korean women’s national baseball team have announced their starting line-up for their game against Hong Kong on 30 April (4pm).

While there are no major changes to the line-up, the ‘youngest’ infielder in the squad, Choi Dre (16), has been honoured with her first career start. “(Choi) Dre is a utility player who can play all positions in the infield,” said head coach Yang Sang-moon. She has strong shoulders.” Choi has been a late-game substitute in every game of the tournament.

Meanwhile, the team declared that they would still play “running baseball” with the same basic framework. Ahn Soo-ji would lead off, with Yang Seo-jin batting second and aggressively stealing bases. The clean-up trio of Joo Eun-jung, Park Ju-ah, and Kim Hyun-ah will produce runs, backed by the bottom of the order of Shin Nuri, Lee Bitna, Jang Yoon-seo, and Choi Dre.

Starting against Hong Kong will be Kwak Min-jung (16), the same pitcher who started against Japan. She was nervous against Japan and gave up five runs in 1.2 innings, but she is determined to do well this time. “I want to strike out as many batters as my sisters and pitch well,” she said.

The team will have to overcome host nation status. Hong Kong is ranked 11th in the world, just one place below us. The teams are virtually evenly matched. The team needs to beat Hong Kong to ensure that they can go all out against Chinese Taipei and have a shot at the final.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong and the first leg of the Super Round will be available for pay-per-view on the tournament’s official streaming site 안전놀이터