American School In Japan senior Woochan Nam batted .564 with a 1.079 OPS, 14 extra-base hits and 31 RBIs for the Far East Division I tournament champion Mustangs. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan – Who says you can’t go home again?
Woochan Nam flipped that narrative on its head in confident fashion, leading American School In Japan to the Far East Division I Tournament title at Camp Humphreys, South Korea – the land of his birth.
But the senior catcher said he didn’t want to take too much for granted in the six-team, four-day tournament played at Humphreys High School’s Blackhawks Field.
“I didn’t want to be overconfident,” said Nam, who was born in Seoul in 2008. “We hadn’t played Humphreys or Kadena or Kubasaki, so I didn’t know how good the other teams were. I thought we could win, but that we should expect the unexpected. I didn’t want to be cocky about it.”
So, Nam and the Mustangs put together a 5-0 run through the Far East tournament, outscoring opponents 35-10 and winning the title April 25 via a 9-2 victory over Nile C. Kinnick. Nam was named the D-I tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Pacing ASIJ to a 21-5-1 overall season record, Nam batted .564, second to teammate Billy Freund, with a team-leading 1.749 OPS. Nam had 14 extra-base hits, a team-leading 31 RBIs, was a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen bases and had a .975 fielding percentage.
For all that, Nam has been named Stars and Stripes Pacific high school baseball Athlete of the Year.
The Mustangs captured the D-I title in their return to the tournament after not being able to play in 2025, since that tournament was scheduled for late May – too late in the school year for ASIJ.
While disappointed that his team couldn’t defend its 2024 Far East title, Nam said ASIJ returned this year with a mission on its mind – the same mission it always has at Far East.
“Everybody expects us to win Far East,” Nam said. “We win almost every single game, we won Far East two years ago. Anytime we play and win close games, that comes as a surprise” to the ASIJ community.
Nam and Freund have formed a special bond, the catcher said, over the last three seasons. Nam has been behind the plate for all three of Freund’s complete-game no-hitters.
“We’ve been battery mates for three seasons (and) I can’t think of a better catcher for me to have,” Freund said. “He knows exactly what pitch I want to throw and where. It’s as if we were telepathically linked.”
Though Freund throws a sharp fastball, “he locates his off-speed pitches very well,” Nam said. “I put my glove down and the pitch is always there.”
Nam joins a lengthy lineage of Mustangs baseball stars, some of whom have played college ball, such as Tyler Sapsford (Yale), Mizuki Shumsky (Miami, Ohio) and Justin Novak (Virginia). Nam says he’s hoping to join that company, perhaps even go pro.
“I went to a Mariners game once and I saw Justin in the bullpen and talked to him. That was really cool,” Nam said of chatting with Novak. “I’ll try to get there.”
Age — 18.
Place of birth — Seoul.
Other sports played — Soccer.
Favorite school subject — Spanish (lived in Spain for a time).
Least favorite school subject — English.
Favorite athlete — Ronald Acuna Jr.
Favorite form of entertainment — Playing his PS5 or hanging out with friends.
