Spring begins with Senbatsu. The 94th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament (hosted by The Mainichi Newspapers and others) opens on the 18th at Hanshin Koshien Stadium. Thirty-two schools will battle over 13 days through the 30th of this month.
The field includes plenty of talked-about players, among them a slugger with 50 career high-school home runs, but the “Senbatsu Support Image Character” is worth a look as well. The role began with the 85th tournament (2013); actress and model Ayaka Itami, 16, the choice for this year, is the 10th.
Past characters have included actresses Fuka Koshiba and Yui Okada. Just as with the players who take the field, the spotlight often jumps after Senbatsu. Reports say first-year high-school student Itami is from Tokyo and belongs to Oscar Promotion. She won the acting-category prize at the 15th All-Japan National Beautiful Girl Contest in 2017.
Appearing on the tournament’s support poster, Itami said: “Senbatsu is a tournament where many people can cheer as one. I think it is very hard to perform on a big stage, but I am drawn to the way they help one another and keep going in order to get through that.”