Overview

• County Gifu Commercial lost 4–2 in 10 innings to Nichidai Third in the national high-school baseball semifinals on August 21.
• They were the tournament’s last remaining public school, ending a revival that returned the program to the final four for the first time since 2009.
• Manager Junsaku Fujii, appointed in September 2024, emphasized player dialogue and trust-building, which OB leaders credit as a key factor.
• Most rostered players are Gifu-born and came through the prefecture’s select middle-school teams, part of a project expanded to hardball around 2018.
• Schoolwide support, including a high-level band and cross-club encouragement, and captain Hirotaka Kawasaki’s steady leadership under his alumnus father’s guidance, reinforced the run.