Baseball may be as American as apple pie, but the sport is quickly becoming as Japanese as sushi. From Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese player to join the American Major Leagues in 1964, to the 2003 Little League World Series champions — the third Japanese team to win the title in the past five years — baseball has many in Japan shouting, “Play ball!”

Now Japanese-style baseball is coming to Central Texas, as the Nanshiki Japanese All-Star Baseball team — made up of a select group of college players — prepares to take on the St. Edward’s University Hilltoppers baseball team on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 3 p.m. at Lucien-Hamilton Field. The Hilltoppers will play the All-Stars in one nine-inning game, using a Japanese-style nanshiki baseball. Featuring the raised seams of traditional baseballs, nanshiki balls are made of rubber and have dimples — much like an oversized golf ball. Because of their lightweight qualities, the nanshiki balls are harder to catch and have a tendency to bounce out of baseball gloves.

Schedule for media opportunities (please coordinate coverage in advance):

Founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross, St. Edward’s University has been named as one of America’s Best Colleges for 2004 by U.S. News & World Report. St. Edward’s is a private Catholic, liberal arts university of approximately 4,300 students located in Austin, Texas.

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