The seventh qualifier for the HUGAN WBSC ePremier12 2024 was decided this past weekend in the ePremier12 Japan Finals, held at the Tokyo Game Show 2024.
DOIYA defeated PAWAHI in a tight 1-0 game in the final of the eight-player tournament to take home the title and clinch a spot in the upcoming HUGAN ePremier12.
The lone run in the game came in the bottom of the first inning, as DOIYA’s Maito Oda launched a solo home run into dead centre field on a high fastball from PAWAHI’s Kazuya Unkai. DOIYA’s Ohtani - newly added feature character - would do the rest, with a complete-game victory in the three-inning affair. Ohtani had a strikeout, walk and a hit against in the contest.
Oda also assisted on defence in DOIYA’s win, with a leaping grab to rob PAWAHI’s Shun Komasaka of a key hit in the top of the third inning.
With the victory, DOIYA becomes the seventh player to qualify for the HUGAN ePremier12. They’ll join SHORA, NEGRAY, Ben Zen, Tomokun, CMWANG, and SHE SHE in the overall field of 12.
Looking ahead, the eighth qualifier will be determined at the ePremier12 Europe Finals, which takes place on October 5 in-person at Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy. The finals will pit MSQA and Boomer_77, who qualified for the Finals as the two best European players in the WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS, in a three-game series, with the winner qualifying for the HUGAN ePremier12.
The ninth and 10th qualifiers will be determined at the ePremier12 USA Finals, which take place on October 24 at the North Carolina State University Esports Lab in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. This in-person tournament will feature the six best USA players who qualified through the USA eBaseball™ Power League and the USA eBaseball™ Cup presented by USA Baseball, competing for two spots in the HUGAN ePremier12.
North Carolina State University will also be where Group A will take place in the HUGAN ePremier12 Opening Round from 25-26 October, which will feature six of the 12 competitors, with the top two moving on to the HUGAN ePremier12 Super Round from 21-23 November in Tokyo, Japan.
The two wild card players who will qualify for the HUGAN ePremier12 will be announced in the near future.
Want to get in on any future tournaments in the WBSC eBaseball Series? Get your copy of WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 today, or apply for a coupon code HERE to forge your path to the world stage!