Today, the Hsinchu County Government Education Bureau held a “Congratulations to outstanding Hsinchu County Pitcher Wang Chih-hsuan and Head Coach Tseng Hao-chu for taking the WBSC Premier12 2024 Championship” event. Members of Shangguan Elementary School baseball team were also invited to join in. Hsinchu County Magistrate Yang Wen-ke expressed his encouragement and admiration, and awarded NT$300,000 to each of the two men. They are the glory of Hsinchu County and the light of Taiwan, and Magistrate Yang expressed hopes that Wang and Tseng will continue to win victories around the world and around the baseball diamond. The magistrate also stated that the County Government will continue to support grassroots baseball activities in hopes of developing even more baseball talents.
Magistrate Yang, wearing a baseball jersey, pointed out that when the Education Bureau organized live broadcasts at Hsinchu County Stadium for the two final games of WBSC Premier12 2024, thousands of County residents turned out. Magistrate Yang himself wore the same baseball jersey for two days in a row to watch the games and cheer for the players. At the celebration event, Magistrate Yang asked the two special guests to sign his jersey as a memento of this remarkable competition.
Magistrate Yang shared that while he was watching the live broadcasts at the stadium, he felt that with head coach Tseng’s perfect deployment and tactics, and with the aid of AI and big data analytics to analyze their opponents, the Chinese Taipei team were certain to win. When the team indeed won the championship, “The whole crowd was electric!” Magistrate Yang called to mind an ancient poem to describe the game: “There will come a time to follow the wind and speed across the waves; hang your cloudy sail high and forge across the azure ocean”.
Magistrate Yang had many words of praise for Wang Chih-hsuan, for being able to take the world stage at only 23 years of age. Wang is a pitcher who came out of Shangguan Elementary School in Zhudong Town, Hsinchu County. The strong efforts and support from the County’s Education Bureau and from Hsinchu County Athletics Federation Baseball Committee Chair Shang-Kuan Chiu-Yan are continuing to drive grassroots baseball development and talent cultivation. The magistrate also awarded NT$300,000 to these two men who represent the glory of Hsinchu County and the light of Taiwan.
During his speech, Tseng Hao-chu expressed his thanks for this honor bestowed by the County Government. He also said he will share the honor with grassroots baseball, and work alongside the County Government in supporting grassroots baseball. Tseng considers this championship to be just a starting point. With lots of attention being paid in this moment, Tseng hopes to use this opportunity to call on local governments and the public to show more support for and invest more resources in grassroots activities. Only by cultivating grassroots baseball talents will there be more opportunities to win world championships in the future. Said Tseng, “Let’s work together for Taiwan baseball!”
Wang Chih-hsuan also interacted with the “lil’ guys” from Shangguan Elementary School. He responded to the young players’ questions, including how to cope with nervousness and bottlenecks. They also asked when he’ll come back to visit the school. Wang answered every question posed. He said, “I feel more nervous giving a speech on stage than standing on the pitcher’s mound,” because when standing on the pitcher’s mound, he knows that he is supported by his teammates behind him; all he needs to do is concentrate on getting that ball into the catcher’s glove. He also mentioned that baseball is a sport that requires “getting used to failure”. Players need to keep the faith and keep moving forward, step by step. Wang promised to return to his alma mater elementary school for a visit. He also looks forward to seeing grassroots baseball becoming stronger and stronger, and seeing more talents trained. This way, Hsinchu won’t just be the City of Technology; playing ball will also be a future path for young people. As Wang quoted the saying, “Every field can have its outstanding achievements”. Baseball players should put in more time and efforts to prepare themselves for even bigger stages.
Wang Chih-hsuan revealed during the interview that what impressed him most was the game against Team USA. He is smaller in stature than players from European and American countries, so he felt more pressure when faced with big, tall opponents. When he came on as a middle relief pitcher, he was faced with runners on second and third and no one out. The coach gave him clear instructions, and he went all out to complete his mission, getting two batters out with four balls. Although one point was lost, he still turned the crisis around, and this has now become a precious experience for Wang.
Many teachers and council members were also present at this event, including Tseng Te-hung (principal of Shangguan Elementary School when Wang Chih-hsuan studied there, now principal of Xin Shi Elementary School); Syu Yong-Ji (current principal of Shangguan Elementary School); Coach Lin Chuan-feng; Shen Tsung-hua (Wang Chih-hsuan’s first coach); as well as Hsinchu County Athletics Federation Baseball Committee Chairperson Shang-Kuan Chiu-Yan and Deputy Chairperson Huang Kuo-pao, who have made long-term efforts in supporting grassroots baseball activities. The attendees all showed their support for baseball at the event.