Powerful hitting and strong pitching from Elias Lahti has seen HP rise to be one of the best performing teams in men’s Ykköspesis.

Overall performance

The opening game of the season saw Hamina host northern rivals Lippo at Vallikenttä. Whilst a number of key players have left Lippo over the winter, weakening their lineup, Hamina put on an incredible performance to earn 3 points. Hamina built a 5-0 lead going into the 4th inning in the first jakso, when Joosua Rättö unleashed a powerful shot for a bases loaded home run and made the score 9-0. Perttu Toikka comfortably found space to bring Rättö home and the score was now 10-0. Lippo’s Jan Hankala brought home Kasperi Salmela for their only run of the jakso and the Orange shirts entered the break with a huge psychological advantage. The second jakso however started more evenly and it was Joosua Rättö again that put Hamina back in control with his second home run of the game. Even though Lippo pulled the score back to 4-3, Rättö topped off his near perfect day with RBI number 7, bringing Elmo Peltonen home and leaving Lippo 2 runs down.

Hamina’s second game of the season saw a more muted performance, as Elias Lahti, Jere Heikkinen and Elmo Peltonen were all unavailable due to commitments with the army. Loimaa dominated the first jakso and silenced Hamina’s batters. With Loimaa 0-1 up at the break, Hamina’s offence came alive in the 3rd inning of the second jakso. Erik Lahti scored a 3 run home run (the first home run in his adult career), before Joosua Rättö scored a home run with the bases loaded. Despite HPs incredible comeback, Loimaa won by a single run in the extra inning.

Hamina’s third game of the season was another home game, this time against Simon Kiri. SiKi are hoping to earn promotion at the end of the season, so this was a real test for Hamina. Elias Lahti and Jere Heikkinen returned to the lineup and put on a solid performance to win 2-0. Whilst the first jakso was fairly close, with HP winning 2-0, they came alive in the second jakso and scored 8 runs. During the whole game, SiKi couldn’t score a single run; in fact, Hamina held Simo to just 4 third base situations in the whole game and a tiny 35% success rate at moving the point runner.

The final game in May saw Hamina travel to local rivals KPL. With Elias Lahti and Jere Heikkinen unavailable once again and Justus Niemeläinen out of the lineup, the team was not as strong as previous games. However, Erik Lahti’s 3 run home run in the 2nd inning of the first jakso opened the game up and put Hamina firmly in charge. Niemeläinen’s replacement (Johannes Kiri) scored an unexpected 2 run home run to increase Hamina’s lead as the orange shirts scored 7 runs in the inning. After winning the first jakso 1-8, Hamina struggled to get their offence going again and it wasn’t until the 4th inning when they scored their first run of the second jakso. By this point, KPL had reached a 7-0 lead and the game hang in the balance. Despite some solid defence in the extra inning, Hamina looked as though they would fail to score. With two outs, Juha Leskinen came to the plate with the bases loaded. Leskinen’s hit to centre field was thrown straight to home and it looked as though Teemu Rouhiainen would be out; luckily, the ball slipped through Aaron Honkanen’s (Kopla pitcher) glove and the game was won.

Key performers

The team has been dominating whenever Elias Lahti has been in the lineup and the team has only allowed 4 runs in total in the games he has played. Joosua Rättö leads the league in RBIs, with 3 home runs and 15 RBIs in just 4 games. His success rate is an impressive 69% with runners on third base and his performances have caught the eye of fans and sports journalists.

Teemu Rouhiainen has scored 9 runs in 4 games, the third best in the league so far this season. Roope Koskelainen has also started the season with impressive statistics. As a progressing hitter, Roope has 20 successful hits and a solid 76.92% success rate.

So far Henri Heikkilä has been absent from the lineup, but there is hope that he will return soon. Despite his absence, the team has been performing incredibly well and things can only get better!

Position in the league

Hamina are currently 5th in the league with 9 points from 4 games. The teams in the top 4 have all played more games than HP and Ura (who are top at the time of writing) only have 3 more points. June promises to be a very busy month, with 9 games including 2 against KPL and 2 against Lohi.

Article by Iain Alba

Ykköspesiksen Itä-Länsi tekee paluun pesäpallokesään, kun sekä miehet että naiset kohtaavat arvo-ottelun merkeissä ensimmäistä kertaa nykypesäpallossa Kankaanpäässä 15. heinäkuuta.

Ykköspesiksen naisten Itä-Länsi pelataan klo 13.00 ja miesten Itä-Länsi klo 16.00. Liput tapahtumaan maksavat 20 euroa ja eläkeläisiltä, opiskelijoilta sekä varushenkilöiltä 18 euroa. Alle 16-vuotiailla on tapahtumaan vapaa pääsy. Liput tapahtumaan myy Tiketti

Valitsijat ja joukkuejako Ykköspesiksen Itä-Länteen:

Ykköspesiksen Itä-Lännessä valitsijoina toimivat naisten puolella Idässä Niko Kaukovalta ja Lännessä Olli-Pekka Pauna. Miesten puolella Idän joukkueen valitsee Teemu Huhtakangas ja Lännen puolella Mika Kulmala.

Miesten ja naisten puolella on yhtä monta seurajoukkuetta sekä Idässä että Lännessä.

Ykköspesiksen Itä-Lännen joukkuejako menee seuraavasti:

Miesten Ykköspesis:
Itä: Haminan Palloilijat; Jyväskylän Kiri 2020; Jyväskylän Lohi; Kouvolan Pallonlyöjät; Oulun Lippo (Juniorit); Puijon Pesis, Kuopio
Länsi: Alavuden Peli-Veikot; Kankaanpään Maila; Kannuksen Ura; Loimaan Palloilijat; Seinäjoen Maila-Jussit; Simon Kiri

Naisten Ykköspesis:
Itä: Janakkalan Jana; Jyväskylän Kirittäret; Kajaanin Pallokerho; Pattijoen Urheilijat, Raahe; Pesä Ysit, Lappeenranta; Puijon Pesis, Kuopio; Raksilan Likat (Oulun Lippo Juniorit); Tyrnävän Tempaus
Länsi: Jalasjärven Jalas; Laitilan Jyske; Lappajärven Veikot; Mailajuniorit, Kankaanpää; Pesäkarhut, Pori; Pöytyän Urheilijat; Seinäjoen Maila-Jussit; Ylivieskan Kuula

Miesten Ykköspesiksen Itä-Länsi pelattiin viimeksi Haminassa 2014–16 ja Varkaudessa 2018. Naisten vastaavaa ei ole kertaakaan aiemmin pelattu jaksopelijärjestelmällä, sillä ottelua todistettiin edellisen kerran Ylöjärvellä kaudella 1993.

Tapahtuman järjestävät yhteistyössä miesten Ykköspesiksessä pelaava Kankaanpään Maila ja naisten Ykköspesistä edustava Mailajuniorit.

Ykköspesiksen Itä-Länsi-tapahtuman aikataulut

• 12.00 Portit avautuvat
• 13.00 Naisten Ykköspesiksen Itä-Länsi
• 15.30 Tauko
• 16.00 Miesten Ykköspesiksen Itä-Länsi
• 20.00 Tilaisuus päättyy

Liput tapahtumaan: https://www.tiketti.fi/ykkospesis-ita-lansi-2023-kankaanpaa-areena-kankaanpaa-lippuja/91142

Lue lisää Pesäpalloliiton sivuilta.

The women’s team had a slow start to the season last year, but after that it was almost perfect. The team earned promotion and return to Superpesis for 2023, where they will face new challenges in their bid to stay in the top division. The women’s team haven’t been in Superpesis since 2007, but there was little doubt that they were ready to return. The question now is whether Hamina can avoid relegation and build a future back in Superpesis.

New signings

Reetta Juntunen played for JoMa and Hamina as part of a joint representation agreement in 2022, but now has signed full time for Hamina. Senna Surakka also joins from JoMa, having played 21 games for Joensuu in the regular season last year. Surakka will act as a shortstop in defence and is a solid progressing hitter as well.

Nea Forsell returns to Hamina, her breeder club, from Pesä Ysit along with Essi Rytteri. Forsell adds an element of firepower to Hamina’s joker lineup. In 2022 she had the 3rd highest number of RBIs in the southern group during the regular season (3 home runs and 38 RBIs). Rytteri is a pitcher who has Superpesis experience and can create unusual and exciting plays; however she also has experience of batting in the number 4 role last year.

Terhi Värri from Pöytyä joins Surakka as the other shortstop and acts as Hamina’s leadoff hitter. Värri is incredibly fast and adds a great start to the lineup. The most recent signing however is probably the fastest player in the lineup. Roosa Lappalainen joins the team on loan from Kirittäret and adds a significant boost to Hamina’s scoring chances: the addition of Lappalainen, Värri and Surakka to the team brings a huge boost in speed and could be the difference between relegation and staying in Superpesis.

Strengths

Hamina’s defence was the best in Ykköspesis in 2022, allowing just 92 runs during the regular season. The real test will come when they face teams like Manse, Lapua and Pori, who have a lot of hitting power. If the defence can hold up against those big teams, then Hamina will have a chance to take points away from tough games, which will be crucial in their quest to avoid relegation.

Weaknesses

The team’s biggest weakness in 2022 was scoring runs - although Hamina did have bouts of solid hitting, they only scored 171 runs during the regular season (the 8th highest in Ykköspesis). With the defences in Superpesis proving to be much tougher than in Ykköspesis, the lack of hitting power remains a key weakness. Niina Nukarinen continues in the number 4 role in the lineup, with Taru Toikka and Anniina Salo acting as hard hitting jokers.

The main opponents

Hamina’s biggest opponents this year will be the teams close to the bottom of Superpesis, as there will be a tight race to stay away from the relegation battle. Roihuttaret had a tough season last year, finishing bottom of the table with a 15 game losing streak during the middle of the season. Roihu however came back during the relegation playoffs and saw off Pöytyä and Ykköspesis runners-up Lappajärvi.

Tahko’s 2022 was fairly mixed. They struggled at points in the season, but ultimately managed to finish in 8th. Tahko’s offence was the 2nd worst in the league with only 112 runs scored in the regular season. If Hamina want to make it into the playoffs, Tahko will be one of the teams they will need to target; although there will be a good chance for Hamina to exploit Tahko’s weakness if they start to struggle like they did last year.

Joensuun Maila will want to stay clear of the relegation battle in 2023, especially after they finished just 1 point away from a playoff spot. JoMa are strengthened by signing another hard hitting joker, Maria Kaakinen. Their opening game against Lapua was closer than many expected; however JoMa failed to take away any points. If JoMa can’t take their chances and score points in games, they could find themselves in trouble.

Kempele’s start to 2022 was poor, but they did much better in this year’s Halli-SM. Kempele finished 10th in 2022 only 2 points clear from being in the relegation series. Kempele’s defence was one of the worst in the league in 2022, conceding 194 runs in the regular season.

Key home matches

18.05.2023 - Hamina v Roihuttaret

Hamina host Roihu in their second game of the season. This rivalry could be decisive in which team stays in Superpesis, so this fixture will be a key season game to watch. This is the first of 4 games between the two teams, who could also end up meeting in the relegation playoff series.

01.07.2023 Hamina v Mailattaret

Vaasa stormed into the playoffs in 2022, but after star pitcher Venla Tanhua has left the team, Mailattaret are looking a lot weaker. Mailattaret’s ability to win will largely depend on their game manager and their tactics - this will make the game more exciting and difficult to predict.

21.07.2022 Hamina v Tahko

Tahko’s season last year was filled with inconsistent performances and this could be the same in 2023. If Hamina are contending for a playoff spot, this game will be all the more important.

13.08.2023 Hamina v JoMa

The final game of the regular season could be the all important decider for where Hamina finish in the table. JoMa slipped to 9th last year and will want to be in the playoffs in 2023; the game therefore could mean a lot to both of these teams.

Prediction

Hamina didn’t have a great Halli SM tournament, but there are some signs of progress and encouragement. Training games against Roihuttaret and Pesä Ysit have revealed that Hamina are playing at a Superpesis level, but the quest to stay up will be a challenge. There are a number of teams who could face relegation at the end of the season, but the most obvious candidate will be Roihuttaret. I predict that Hamina will stay in Superpesis and avoid relegation: a playoff spot is likely to be out of reach, but still possible if everything falls in pro place.

Article by Iain Alba

Ruutu näyttää tulevallakin kaudella kaikki Superpesiksen ottelut.

Ruutu on Superpesiksen kotipesä alkavallakin kaudella. Ruutu näyttää koko kauden aikana noin 70 päälähetystä, jotka toteutetaan monikameratuotantoina. Lisäksi kaikki muut ottelut lähetetään suorana Ruudusta fanikameratoteutuksina.

Viime kausilta tutut Supermaanantai-ottelut näytetään päälähetyksinä myös tulevalla kaudella.

Superpesiksen pudotuspelien päälähetykset julkaistaan myöhemmin. Ruutu näyttää suorana myös kaikki kauden Ykköspesiksen ottelut.

Runkosarjan varmistetut päälähetykset Haminan Palloilijoiden osalta:

26.5. klo 18.00 Roihuttaret, Helsinki - Haminan Palloilijat

17.6. klo 17.00 Haminan Palloilijat - Lapuan Virkiä (pelataan Kuusankoskella)

Lue lisää Superpesiksen sivuilta.

Ilmoittautuminen valtakunnallisille pesisleireille käynnistyy porrastetusti sunnuntaina 5.3.2023.

Leireille ilmoittautuminen tapahtuu osoitteessa https://ttk.pesistulokset.fi/ilmoittaudu

Leirisivuilta on myös löydettävissä ilmoittautumisohjeet sekä joukkue- ja tuomarimaksun Q&A, mitä täydennetään tarvittaessa.

Lue lisää Pesäpalloliiton sivuilta: https://www.pesis.fi/pesisleirit-paauutinen/2023/02/ilmoittautuminen-valtakunnallisille-leireille-kaynnistyy-porrastetusti-sunnuntaina-5-3/

Thoughts of last year’s success are now a distant memory, as Hamina’s women’s team prepare for new challenges in Superpesis.

Hamina’s 2022 season was a complete success, as the team dominated the women’s Ykköspesis and earned promotion to Superpesis. But as the team enters 2023, survival is the key aim for the club. The women’s team seemed almost unstoppable last year, but the thought of winning the Ykköspesis championship was incredible. Team Captain Linda Kemppainen reflected on the team’s achievement:

“It feels really good. You won't achieve that kind of things many times in your career, so it was pretty awesome and feels like we did deserve it.”

The time for celebration however was short, as the team prepared for a new challenge in Superpesis. Linda gave her thoughts on the goals for 2023:

“If we think of a real, concrete target for this season, it will be maintaining our place in Superpesis. That is a clear target. For the playing side, that we can play all summer in our own way. Play good games, challenge and win games. Certainly the hardest teams are Manse, Kirittäret, Virkiä and Pori. They are really good.”

The bottom half of the Women’s Superpesis is incredibly competitive and there are a lot of teams who could finish anywhere from 8th down to 12th. The latest teams to earn promotion to Superpesis have made a clear impact on the league and are building for a longer future in the top division. Roihuttaret and Vaasa joined Superpesis in 2021 and 2022 and finished 10th and 8th in their first seasons. Roihuttaret have a solid fan base and playing in Roihuvuori can be tough for visiting teams - 8 out of the team’s 11 Superpesis wins in the regular seasons have been at home (2021 and 2022 combined). Although Roihu’s defence can be inconsistent and their outfield is prone to allowing a high number of runs unexpectedly. The one thing Roihu isn’t short of is fighting spirit - the fans and team are very vocal and animated.

Vaasa made headlines in 2022 with Venla Tanhua being chosen as pitcher of the month in April, after several wins and close games against top teams. Vaasa’s great performance made them clear candidates for a playoff spot and eventually they achieved that goal. Vaasa’s ability to win tough games make them a serious opponent for Hamina and their hopes of staying in Superpesis.

Although Roihuttaret and Vaasa are clear rivals in Hamina’s quest to stay in Superpesis, both teams have lost their star pitchers coming into the 2023 season which will significantly impact on their chances. On 4th February Hamina played a practice game against Roihuttaret. The Orange shirts ultimately won the game and showed promise in key areas of their gameplay. Game manager Jussi Toikka commented:

“The defensive inning was really good, even though Linda Kemppainen wasn't playing. Still, the defensive inning remained on track and I need to be pleased for it. A couple of runs came easily for

Roihuttaret, but that's indoor-pesäpallo. It will not happen in summer. In terms of the offensive inning, we need to be more precise and not get too many pointless strikes, which we got today. We need to get rid of those.”

Preparations in Hamina have been going well and the team is confident of the progress they have made. The leap from Ykköspesis to Superpesis can be tough and that is certainly the case in Women’s Superpesis. The difference in playing ability between the top 4 or 5 teams and the bottom teams is significant. In order to strengthen the lineup, Hamina signed several players during the offseason including Senna Surakka, Terhi Värri, Essi Rytteri and Nea Forsell.

Although there have been a few players absent from the lineups in the team’s practice games, there is a really positive attitude in the club and all newly signed players have settled in well. Jussi comments:

“First of all, I need to be pleased that the team has become united. Team takes steps forward in every game and a lot of development is achieved, as they have done a lot of work. It is pleasing for the coach too. All who joined the team have settled very well. You won't recognize that someone has been with the team since last October. They are all great people.”

Most Hamina fans will be familiar with the players and how they developed in 2022. But from the game manager’s perspective, it is always interesting to see which players are starting to show promise during the winter training. Jussi Toikka was asked who fans should look out for this season:

“Obviously I hope that the whole team has an excellent season and we develop during the summer, but of course Senna Surakka is one of the players who has a major will to show her skills. Of course many others too, but she is probably the one who you need to follow.”

Of course, there is always room for improvement and the club is fully aware that success in Ykköspesis doesn’t always lead to success in Superpesis. Jussi commented on the areas he is hoping to see some improvements as summer approaches:

“During offensive innings we have had good situations, and small adjustments are needed. We need to play bold and attack. There we need to concentrate more and work on it. There are a couple of months until the start of the season, and after two weeks we play Halli-SM where we need to beat Roihuttaret again.”

Whatever happens this summer, the club are ready to take on the challenge and looking in good form to repeat the success of previously promoted teams. The orange shirts will be hoping to fill the stands at Vallikenttä this summer and achieve a goal that the men’s team failed to do in 2021 - stay in Superpesis.

Article by Iain Alba