Samurai Japan has unveiled its roster for the upcoming Collegiate All-Star Series against Team USA, scheduled to take place from July 8-13. The showdown was last held in July 2023, when Japan claimed a 3-2 series victory in North Carolina. Japan also won the 2019 edition on home soil. This year, the rivalry returns to Japan and will be played across three different stadiums.
侍ジャパン大学代表が3連覇を目指す「第45回 日米大学野球選手権大会」のチケット詳細はこちら。https://t.co/mkGwSZ35EK
■エスコンフィールドHOKKAIDO
第1戦 7月8日18時
第2戦 7月9日18時■HARD OFF ECO スタジアム新潟
第3戦 7月11日17時
第4戦 7月12日12時■明治神宮野球場
第5戦… pic.twitter.com/Q10JwcRtMi— 野球日本代表 侍ジャパン 公式 (@samuraijapan_pr) June 28, 2025
Leading the team is manager Tetsuya Horii, who took over in September 2023. The 63-year-old has been coaching at the international level since 2009. The squad will hold training sessions from June 30 to July 4 at Batting Palace Soseki Stadium Hiratsuka and Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo.
The series will open on July 8 with the first two games at Es Con Field Hokkaido, home of the Nippon-Ham Fighters, and the newest stadium in Nippon Professional Baseball. Games three and four will be held at HARD OFF ECO Stadium Niigata, home of the minor league Oisix Albirex. The fifth and final game will take place at Meiji Jingu Stadium, the venue of both the Yakult Swallows and the Tokyo Big6 League.
侍ジャパン大学代表の直前合宿がバッティングパレス相石スタジアムひらつかでスタート。「第45回 日米大学野球選手権大会」は7月8日から13日まで北海道、新潟、東京で5試合開催されます。
大会チケット情報はこちらhttps://t.co/mkGwSZ3Dui pic.twitter.com/wC7EMPjTYc
— 野球日本代表 侍ジャパン 公式 (@samuraijapan_pr) June 30, 2025
Headlining the roster are infielder Masahiro Tateishi and right-hander Shunya Shimada, both locks to be first-round picks in the 2025 NPB Draft in October. Tateishi is widely regarded as one of the best hitting prospects in recent history and is expected to be hotly contested in the draft lottery.
The Soka University slugger has posted a career slash line of .344/.439/.624 and regularly registers exit velocities over 105 mph. Shimada features a five-pitch mix consisting of a four-seamer, cutter, curveball, changeup, and splitter. His fastball sits in the low to mid-90s and has touched 96 mph this year. (Note: Shimada was replaced by Konan Miyagi due to an injury after this story was written.)
Other notable hitters on the roster include Koichiro Oda, Ayuto Matsushita, Taiga Kojima, Ruan Ohtsuka, and Shun Akiyama. Junior catchers Kai Watabe and Ran Maejima are also names to watch, with both projected as potential top picks in the 2026 NPB Draft.
Keeping close tabs on how Masahiro Tateishi performs at the Japan-US Collegiate All-Star Series next month.
A Shugo Maki-caliber slugging talent and the consensus top prospect of the 2025 NPB Draft. He'll likely be contested by at least 4 teams this fall. https://t.co/Kqbk1FVWmm
— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) June 23, 2025
The pitching staff also features standouts like Tatsuki Itoh, Masaki Nakanishi, Taichi Sato, and Kyohei Yamashiro, all projected to be selected in the first two rounds this fall. Moreover, Taisei Suzuki and Genei Sato, currently juniors, are regarded as two top arms in the 2026 class.
