Moriura Reflects on His High School Years at Tenri and the Frustration That Fueled His Career

As the 2026 National High School Baseball Championship takes place at Koshien Stadium, Hiroshima Toyo Carp reliever Daisuke Moriura is looking back on his own high school baseball career.

Moriura, who appeared in 60 games as a reliever for Hiroshima in the 2025 season, attended Tenri High School, one of the most successful baseball programs in Nara Prefecture. He reached Koshien in both the spring and summer of his second year.

Moriura, who grew up in Wakayama Prefecture, chose Tenri after receiving an offer from the school during his middle school years.

“At the time, I knew Tenri as a prestigious school that had regularly appeared at Koshien,” Moriura recalled. “After hearing more about the school, I decided that I wanted to go there.”

Although Tenri is renowned for its baseball tradition, Moriura said there were no particularly unusual training methods. Instead, he remembers the demanding running sessions, especially timed runs around the field.

The pressure to reach Koshien was also significant.

“Because of Tenri’s history, there was always a feeling that we had to make it to Koshien,” Moriura said. “In Nara, Tenri and Chiben Gakuen were always the two schools everyone was watching. There was a feeling that one of those two teams would go to Koshien, so we were always determined to beat Chiben Gakuen.”

His first appearance at Koshien remains one of his strongest memories.

“I had always wanted to go to Koshien and worked hard with that goal in mind. It was a place I had dreamed about,” he said.

Moriura appeared as a reliever in his first Koshien game and remembers the atmosphere of pitching in front of a large crowd. Even today, he continues to follow Tenri’s games during the summer tournament.

But the memory that perhaps influenced his career the most came before those Koshien appearances.

As a first-year student, Moriura started the Nara prefectural championship game against Chiben Gakuen. He gave up four runs in the first inning, ending Tenri’s hopes of reaching the summer Koshien.

That game also saw him face a young Kazuma Okamoto, who is now a star with the Yomiuri Giants.

“Okamoto was already a big player with an aura about him, so I thought he was an incredible player even then,” Moriura said.

The disappointment stayed with him.

“I still remember that day,” he said. “That frustration became something that supported me as I pursued my goal of becoming a professional baseball player.”

Looking back, Moriura considers his three years at Tenri to be a crucial period in his development.

“I think those three years were when I learned the fundamentals of being a baseball player.”

Moriura also believes that the biggest appeal of high school baseball is its unpredictability.

“High school baseball is a single-elimination tournament, so there are aspects of it that you don't get in professional baseball, where you play over a long season. I think that's what makes it so interesting.”

To the high school players competing for a chance to reach Koshien, Moriura offered a simple message:

“I hope they can play without regrets, give everything they have, and show what they are capable of.”

For Moriura, the road to professional baseball was not built only on success. The disappointment of a painful loss, the pressure of playing for a prestigious school, and the lessons learned through those experiences all became part of the foundation for the durable left-handed reliever he is today.