Keiji Katayama
| Keiji Katayama | |
|---|---|
| Coach | |
| Born: 1976 or 1977 (age 48–49) | |
| Teams | |
|
Keiji Katayama (片山 圭二, Katayama Keiji) is a Japanese baseball coach based in the Philippines who is a coach for the Philippines national baseball team and the founder of the Katayama Baseball Academy Stars
Early life and education
Katayama was born in 1976 or 1977 and studied at the Himeji Nishi High School, and later at Kansai University. He played in the infield position in school. After graduating, he worked for a baseball glove manufacturer.[1][2]
Career
Katayama moved to the Philippines by 2006 where he played for semi-professional teams and clubs. In 2012, he became part of the Philippine national baseball team as a "helper" player. In 2017, Katayama became part of the national team coaching staff and later became a consultant for the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association to develop baseball in the Philippines.[2]
In 2019, Katayama created the Katayama Baseball Academy (KBA) Stars to provide opportunity for players in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines after graduation from college.[2][3] He served both the role of a player and a coach.[4]
The KBA Stars played in the Liga Baseball Philippines both in the 2024 and 2026 seasons.[5][6]
References
- ^ Kimura, Koichi (January 28, 2020). "野球ＷＢＣ予選参加を決めたフィリピン。日本人コーチが感じたプレーの原点。（木村公一） - エキスパート" [The Philippines has decided to participate in the Baseball WBC qualifying round. The origin of play felt by Japanese coaches.]. Yahoo! Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- ^ a b c Osaka, Naoko (October 19, 2024). "フィリピン代表コーチは日本人 きっかけは新聞 いつかプロ野球へ：朝日新聞" [The coach of the Philippine national team is Japanese. It all started with a newspaper. Someday, I'll go to professional baseball]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- ^ "Katayama Baseball Academy off to strong start in PBL Open Conference". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. May 25, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- ^ "KBA Stars stun UAAP champion La Salle". Manila Standard. June 26, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- ^ "Star-studded opening night for Liga Baseball PH". Manila Standard. May 8, 2026. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- ^ Simon, Danigilas (May 5, 2026). "Keiji Stars sa Liga Baseball PH" [Keiji Stars in Liga Baseball PH]. Police Files! Tonite (in Filipino). Retrieved May 14, 2026.