Ian Yang, an NYCU alumnus who graduated in June 2020, entered the 32nd mid-season draft in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) this year through the recommendation by the Unilions after his spring training with the baseball team. Faculty and students across NYCU rejoiced with honor and pride after learning the good news.
Although Yang was not selected at the end, he expressed his intention to train further to continue to pursue his dream as a professional baseball player.
Yang, who graduated from the Department of Management Science in NYCU, started playing baseball at high school and joined the NYCU baseball team with extraordinary sports performance. He noted that he did not confirm his career path during the freshman year in NYCU; after he began to train with the baseball team, he decided to work toward joining CPBL.
Upon dedicating himself to a baseball career, Yang began by focusing on academic performance as a gesture of determination to his family, teachers, and himself. With perseverance and actions, he proved that balancing between schoolwork and baseball practice is possible and earned a rare opportunity after graduation.
According to Shan-ying Huang, the coach of the NYCU baseball team, Yang competed in the university baseball league on behalf of NYCU in his sophomore year. As a pitcher, he reached an in-game fastball speed of 138-km/h, demonstrating extraordinary prowess. Because he was not trained as a child, he has surely spent considerable efforts to attain this level.
According to Chih-chuan Wang, the director of the NYCU Office of Physical Education, the University became the first in Taiwan in the academic year 2002 to independently recruit outstanding sports students not from the departments of physical education. By this year, 269 elite sports students have been recruited over the course of 20 academic years. In addition to technical and academic education, these outstanding sports students focus on moral education and are encouraged to engage in diverse development based on their aptitudes and talents. Despite lacking a physical education department, NYCU has cultivated numerous star players and national team players, including the professional basketball player Ju-chun Chen and Calvin Chieng; Universiade swimmer Fang-yu Chang; and national badminton team member Wen-chi Hsu. The outstanding sports students of NYCU are exceptional athletes excelling in both academic and sports performance.
NYCU President Chi-hung Lin, who is an avid baseball fan, expressed pride upon learning of Yang’s joining the CPBL draft through recommendation. He stated that NYCU aims to establish a diverse interdisciplinary learning environment to provide students with flexible learning time and space. The University also encourages students to participate in extracurricular activities to lay a solid foundation for their diverse career development after graduation.
Chinese version: https://www.nycu.edu.tw/news/2210/