The 96th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament will kick off at Koshien Stadium on March 18, 2022. In preparation for the tournament, a selection committee met in Osaka City on the 26th to choose the 32 participating schools. This year’s participating schools were the same as the usual selected schools for the spring commemorative tournament, and with this, the participating schools for this year have been finally decided.

From the Kanto area, Sakushin Gakuin from Tochigi Prefecture, which won the Kanto tournament last autumn, will participate. In addition, schools that performed well in last year’s Senbatsu are set to participate. Among the 32 participating schools, Betsuka of Hokkaido Prefectural was also chosen in the 21st Century Frame.

Furthermore, Yamanashi Gakuin will participate with the aim of winning consecutive tournament victories. Yamanashi Gakuin made a strong impression by attracting attention at last year’s tournament, and expectations are high for their performance this year as well.

On the other hand, it has also been decided that Aomori Prefecture will participate in the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament. From Aomori Prefecture, Aomori Yamada and Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei will participate in the tournament. There will also be participation from areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, which will garner attention as symbols of reconstruction.

These 32 schools will stage an intense battle at Koshien, the dream stage for high school students nationwide. A 13-day concentrated battle is slated, with each school facing a fierce fight to reach the top. This tournament, too, will surely see heated competitions in high school baseball.