Jeff Jenkins and the Rose-Hulman baseball team finished 1-2 on last week's trip to Japan.

On the field, Rose-Hulman defeated Kanazawa Institute of Technology 17-3 on Tuesday to open the trip.  On Wednesday, a Division I All-Star Team of Japan's top college players topped the Engineers 13-0.

Finally, on Friday, the Engineers jumped out to an early lead before falling to Division I national power Kansai University 10-5.  The game, against a 24,000-student university in Japan, was played with wooden bats on a completely all-dirt field.

Off the field, Rose-Hulman's baseball team enjoyed two days of tourism in Kanazawa and Kyoto.  In Kanazawa, the team visited the world renowned Castle of Kanazawa, the former home of the city's major university.  In addition, the Engineers toured the city and visited several other well-known castles.

In Kyoto, a city of more than one-million residents, the team visited several shrines and temples which included the oldest wooden structure in Japan.

The 2 p.m. games followed a unique pre-game schedule.  Batting practice would begin at 10 a.m., with fielding practice concluded by 1 p.m.  Then, both teams participated in a formal pre-game ceremony complete with gift exchanges for 60 minutes prior to the first pitch.

"The Kanazawa group took outstanding care of us.  It was an extremely busy week.  With three days of games and two days of sights, we were constantly going somewhere.  It was a trip that we'll never forget," said head coach Jeff Jenkins.

Rose-Hulman completed a 36-8 regular season in 2004 to record the best single-season mark in school history.

Return to Rose-Hulman Baseball page