Ahn Ji-won (16), a freshman at Busan High School, won the Golden Lion MVP award.
Busan High School defeated Sunrin Internet High School 12-3 in the final of the ’77th Golden Lion National High School Baseball Tournament and Weekend League King of Kings’ held at Mokdong Stadium in Seoul on the 29th and won its first championship.
Ahn Ji-won, who is playing as a starting player despite being a freshman, led the team to victory by starting right fielder No. 2 and playing an active role with 3 hits, 3 RBIs and 1 run in 4 at-bats. The tournament record was 6 games, batting average of 5.56 (10 hits in 18 at-bats), 9 RBIs, 9 runs, 1 steal, and an OPS of 1.322. He performed outstandingly and swept the Most Valuable Player Award, Hitting Award, Most RBI Award, and Most Hit Award.
In an interview after the game, coach Park Gye-won of Busan High School said, “They did an amazing job. In fact, Ahn Ji-won entered the school as a pitcher. He is still a player who also has pitching greed. However, since the pitching base of sophomores and juniors is thick, I suggested that if you want to play in the game, how about batting for a year? Thanks to Ahn Ji-won’s willing acceptance, today was such a hit,” he laughed.
Ahn Ji-won, who said, “I am very happy to be able to win four gold medals on such a big stage,” expressed his feeling of winning the championship, saying, “Since our school has never won the Golden Lion, we played more earnestly.”
Ahn Ji-won, who cited his quick focus, contact ability, and strong arm as his strengths, chose Aseop Son as his role model. “I want to resemble senior Son A-seop’s batting, main power, and strong shoulder,” he explained. 안전놀이터
Ahn Ji-won, who said, “I also have a good shoulder, so I feel a bit disappointed to hit the batter,” said, “I still have a desire to be a pitcher. As a pitcher, Shohei Ohtani (Angels) is a role model. Until now, there is no other player who doubles as a pitcher like Ohtani, but I can do it. He will work hard and become a good player like Ohtani.”