How club teams are changing high school baseball

May marks the season for the most prestigious high school baseball tournament in South Korea, the Golden Lion National High School Baseball Championship. Now in its 79th year, young hopefuls are chasing their dreams once again at Seoul’s Mokdong and Sinwol Baseball Stadium.

However, in recent years, unfamiliar names such as Cheonan CSBC and TNPBA have started appearing on the high school baseball scene. At first glance, it’s hard to grasp what these teams are. CSBC stands for Commercial School Baseball Club, while TNPBA is an abbreviation for Training & Physical Baseball Academy. There are also teams such as Yulgok High Baseball Team and Changwon Technical High Baseball Team, which attach “Baseball Team” to the school name. How are these different from well-known traditional powerhouses such as Gyeongnam High School, Gwangju Jeil High School, and Deoksu High School?

These teams are sports clubs. Unlike traditional school athletic departments run by school foundations, these are managed by separate legal entities responsible for recruiting players, coaching, administration, and accounting. Depending on whether the players are enrolled students at a specific school, these clubs are categorized as either school-affiliated clubs or region-based clubs. In the case of the Yulgok High Baseball Team, it means a sports club composed of Yulgok High School students. The “Baseball Team” label was added to distinguish it from a traditional school sports team. Notably, Yulgok High transitioned its athletic department into a sports club in 2023 and renamed the team accordingly.

Overall, club teams tend to be less competitive than school-based athletic programs. Players from club teams still face disadvantages in professional league drafts and college admissions. Nevertheless, the number of athletes joining club teams continues to grow. Since 2021, when club teams began participating in official tournaments hosted by the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA), their numbers have increased from five to twenty-four teams this year. Many players turn to club teams after receiving limited opportunities in school athletic departments or starting the sport later than others. Some cite dissatisfaction with school athletic departments' harsh, results-driven culture as their reason for switching.

“On the school team, I was immediately pulled out of the game after making an error. But here, even if I strike out, I don’t lose confidence and can enjoy playing. I’ve learned that baseball isn’t life itself, but it’s a part of life,” one high school sophomore who transferred from a school team to a club team said. Some coaches, who gave up positions at traditional schools due to the culture of favoring alums, have found new opportunities with club teams.

Club teams have brought meaningful changes to high school baseball. With their growth, the total number of high school baseball teams surpassed 100 for the first time last year. There was a 28 percent increase from 82 teams in 2020 to 105 this year. Some players from club teams have even made it to the professional level. In last year’s professional baseball draft, Kim Jong-woon from the Changwon Technical High Baseball Team was picked 70th overall, and Go Young-woong from Yaro High BC was selected 100th by the LG Twins.

This year’s Golden Lion tournament featured a record 11 club teams, with four advancing past the first round. Regardless of the outcomes, the players shared a common sentiment that just stepping onto the field at Mokdong Stadium, where a national tournament is held, is overwhelming. Last year, the first female player from a club team participated in the Golden Lions. Son Ga-eun of Hwaseong Dongtan BC made history when she took the field as a first baseman in the bottom of the third inning against Dogae High in the first round. Her team lost in a fifth-inning mercy rule, ending her appearance after a single at-bat, but the cap she wore bore the message: “Let’s have fun.” High school baseball is changing.