Home runs, wild pitches, strikeouts...the passionate baseball and softball game scenes can also be seen in Dongguan! On March 25, the first Dongguan Baseball and Softball Association exchange was held at the Dongguan Heroes Rural Sports Hotel. Lu Guanghui, consultant to the Chinese National Women’s Softball Team, founder of Hong Kong Shatin Youth Baseball, deputy director of the Asia-Pacific region of Little League Baseball (LLB), Yin Jinchang, assistant director of the Asia-Pacific headquarters of Little League Baseball, Li Ping, president of the Guangzhou Baseball and Softball Association, Huang Dongyi, deputy manager of the Dongguan Taiwanese Slow Pitch League, and Meng Zhancheng, a former MLB player and head baseball coach of Dongguan Wensheng International School (ISD), attended the event.
In Dongguan, compared to basketball, football, and badminton, baseball and softball seem to be quite niche ball sports. In fact, as early as December 1999, Dongguan Hongmei Middle School established the city's first youth baseball (men's) and softball (women's) teams, filling the gap in the city's baseball sports. Since then, the Hongmei baseball team has represented Dongguan City in various events many times, and has won awards such as the runner-up in the "Hong Kong-Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Dongguan" Youth Soft Baseball Championship and the second place in the Guangdong Province Youth Softball Championship.
"In fact, baseball and softball fans in Dongguan have always been active. They not only communicate with domestic teams, but also interact with teams and clubs in Japan and other countries, but they have not been able to form a city-wide organization." Huang Weiguo, head of preparations for the association He is a baseball enthusiast from Dongguan. He used to be a baseball boy on the green field, and now he is also committed to promoting the development of baseball and softball in Dongguan. "This exchange is to bring together baseball and softball enthusiasts from all walks of life in Dongguan, build a big baseball and softball family, and cultivate more baseball and softball enthusiasts."
In the finals of the "China Cup" baseball game last August, Dongguan A baseball team from the school broke through dozens of international school teams and won the national runner-up. This team that became famous in one battle is the Kirin Baseball Team of Dongguan Wensheng International School. The team's head coach Meng Zhancheng is a former Major League Baseball player. He said that now Dongguan has its first international youth baseball standard baseball field , and hopes to popularize this charming sport in Dongguan.
"There are 17 slow pitch teams in Dongguan, with activities in Qingxi, Shatin, Dalingshan, Shijie and other towns and streets." Huang Dongyi, deputy team leader of the Dongguan Taiwanese Slow Pitch Alliance, said that slow pitch Softball pitching is relatively easy and quick to pick up, and can be participated by men, women, old and young. It is a healthy sport that promotes communication and enhances friendship.
Based on the principles of friendship, harmony, unity, happiness and health, the Dongguan Baseball and Softball Association is preparing to be established. In the future, it will organize baseball and softball competitions and related activities, and establish friendly relations and promote exchanges with city baseball and softball teams at home and abroad. Jointly develop the spirit and movement of baseball and softball.
