Naruto (鳴門) is a public school from Tokushima Prefecture. Naruto are currently the strongest school from Tokushima, considering the fact that they are a public school this is all the most impressive. Tokushima is a strange Prefecture as the strongest schools historically were always public rather than private. As for Naruto, they have been to Koshien 24 times and have even won once albeit all the way back in Spring 1951. Their most recent appearance was a 1st round loss in Summer 2022. Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher and 2024 NPB All-Star, Kono Ryuo, went to this school.

Key player: Tomoto Hashimoto (橋本朋來) #8 - 3rd year pitcher, ace of the staff. He pitched 21 innings in the qualifiers, allowing just 1 earned run on 9 hits while striking out 22. He's not considered a draft candidate.

Media ranking: C

Tenri (天理) is a private school from Nara Prefecture. A stereotypical powerhouse, Tenri has made it to Koshien 57 times and has won three times (Summer 1986, 1990, and Spring 1997). They have been remarkably consistent in qualifying for Koshien, attending regularly since the 1950s. Their most notable player is likely NPB Hall of Fame member Hiromitsu Kadota. The school is also controlled by the Tenrikyo cult/new religion (depending on your interpretation) which is pretty funny.

Key player: Shotaro Tomita (冨田祥太郎) #4 3rd year power hitting 2nd baseman. He had an impressive showing at the qualifiers, hitting 4 home runs in 5 games. He went 7-17 overall with 9 RBIs.

Media ranking: B