The Korea Baseball Softball Association has finalized the winners by institutional sector to be awarded at this year's "night of baseball and softball people."
This year's selection targeted players, coaches and individuals who contributed to the development of baseball and softball by their performances at national tournaments throughout 2025.
The Kim Il-bae coach award was given to coach Lee Hee-jun, who led Seokgyo Elementary School in Chungbuk to dominate the national stage. Coach Lee Hee-jun swept the major tournaments this year, winning the Heungtaryeongki, the national youth sports festival, the chairman's cup and the Park Chan-ho cup, achieving a national four-title sweep.
The Lee Young-min batting award, given to the best high school hitter, was claimed by Kang Young-eun, a second-year student at Gaeseong High School. The Lee Young-min batting award is given to the player with the highest batting average among hitters with at least 60 plate appearances in 15 games in the high school weekend league and the national high school baseball tournament hosted by the association. Kang Young-eun this season appeared in 19 games with 67 plate appearances, 57 at-bats, 28 hits, a .491 batting average, 11 RBIs and 13 stolen bases, showing the most outstanding hitting skill on the high school stage.
Outstanding player awards in baseball went to players who showed brilliant performances in each age group. In the under-12 and under-15 divisions, Ha Jung-woo of Seokgyo Elementary School and Kim Jun-su of Daechi Middle School, who distinguished themselves both pitching and batting at national tournaments this year, each earned the honor.
The outstanding player award for the under-18 division went to Jang Chan-hee of Gyeongnam High School, who won the best pitcher award at the Presidential Cup and the most valuable player award at the Phoenix Flag tournament. The college division outstanding player awards went to Yonsei University's Yoon Sung-hwan (pitcher) and Dankook University's Lim Sang-woo (hitter).
In the softball institutional sector, players who showed excellent performance were selected. In the under-15 division, Lee June-hee (pitcher) and Han Chae-yul (hitter) of Chungbuk National University Affiliated Middle School, who won individual awards consecutively at national tournaments, and in the under-18 division, Kim Ha-hyun (pitcher) of Seoul Sinjeong High School, who showed dominant pitching with a 0.90 earned run average, and Baek Yoon-ji (hitter), who excelled at national tournaments with a .682 batting average, are scheduled to receive awards.
In the college division, Joo Ha-young (pitcher) and Lee Ji-young (hitter) of Sangji University took the honors. Joo Ha-young played a key role on the mound and Lee Ji-young led the team at the plate. In the open division, the honors went to Incheon Sports Council ace pitcher Choi Yeon-ji (pitcher) and power hitter Lee Seo-yoon (hitter).
In the recreational sports institutional sector, Kim Ho-in of Seosan in Chungnam was selected. In the division institutional sector, Gyeonggi's Kim Sung-jae (pitcher) and Choi Hyun-sung (hitter) were each selected. In the Baseball5 institutional sector, Kim Yong-wook of GBSA was chosen as the best player.
In the little league institutional sector, Kim Hyun-jin of Bucheon Sosa Little League, who showed all-around performance in pitching and hitting, was selected, and in the women's baseball institutional sector, Son Ga-eun of the Uiwang Black Pearls, the ace of the women's national team, took the honor.
The merit award will be given to Lee Joong-won, vice chairman of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Vice chairman Lee Joong-won was recognized for his contributions to balanced development between professional and recreational sports in the province.
The plaques of appreciation went to individuals and organizations that led the development and expansion of youth baseball. Park Chan-ho, representative of Team61, continuously sponsored the "Park Chan-ho National Elementary School Baseball Tournament" for 23 years, taking the lead in establishing the operational foundation for youth tournaments. In particular, he was recognized for his long-term support in building a foundation where youth players can play games and grow.
Also, Lee Seung-yeop, chairman of the Lee Seung-yeop Baseball Scholarship Foundation, made a major contribution to establishing a player development system through scholarship programs and support for hosting tournaments, and his support activities were highly evaluated for providing practical help in nurturing youth players.
In addition, the Mudeung Baseball Stadium management team of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Sports Council and Park Joon-chul, representative of Star News, will receive plaques of appreciation for their contributions to national tournament operations and the revitalization of amateur baseball.
Along with this, referees who made fair calls at national tournaments were selected as outstanding umpires: Kim Yong-il and Nam Ki-hyun in the baseball institutional sector, and Kim Sung-bae in the softball institutional sector.
The association plans to present awards to winners in each institutional sector at the "2025 night of baseball and softball people" to be held Dec. 15 at the Olympic Parktel.
[OSEN]