Overview

• An online draw on August 1 paired Soseikan (Nagasaki) with Komatsu Otani (Ishikawa) for the first game, with the full 49-school bracket to be decided on August 3.
• To protect players from extreme heat, the opening ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. and the first game at 5:30 p.m., marking the tournament’s first evening schedule.
• The Japan High School Baseball Federation approved a designated hitter rule on August 1 for implementation in all spring 2026 official competitions, aiming to ease pitcher workloads and expand batting roles.
• Chukyo University Chukyo High School third-year student Aika Morimoto will become the first female high school student to deliver the ceremonial first pitch at Hanshin Koshien Stadium on August 5.
• A disciplinary committee has suspended the baseball club director of Mirai Toyama High School for three months starting August 2 after he failed to report an April internal violence incident.