Hong Kong baseballers plotting another mainland scalp at National Games
Player Elvis Mok reveals how city team are relieving stress, says it’s back to business following elation of Sichuan win
After a meeting designed to “increase morale and focus” inspired their landmark 4-3 win over Sichuan on Friday, the tight-knit Hong Kong baseball team have been plotting to claim another mainland scalp.
Outfielder Elvis Mok Chun-lam said his side were braced to encounter a “pretty strong” Fujian on Monday morning, after the provincial team recruited some “very good Taiwanese players”.
Nonetheless, Mok, a computer engineering student at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, was confident a young city team would stand up to the test.
“In training we replicate pressure situations, so when we’re on the field we’re not experiencing something new,” Mok said. “It allows you to just focus on the ball.”
With only eight players born on or before December 31, 2001 permitted in National Games squads, Mok said it was the responsibility of senior performers to help junior counterparts manage their first step into the spotlight.
“If their facial expression or body language reveals they’re stressed, we’ll cheer them up or give them advice on how to relieve it,” Mok said.