Sakura Miwa

Sakura Miwa
SHIONOGI – No. 39
Pitcher
Born: (1998-10-01) October 1, 1998 (age 28)
Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Medals
Representing  Japan
Softball
World Cup
Gold medal – first place2024 Castions di StradaTeam
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place2022 HangzhouTeam
Gold medal – first place2026 Aichi–NagoyaTeam
World Games
Silver medal – second place2022 BirminghamTeam

Sakura Miwa (Japanese: 三輪 さくら; born 1 October 1998) is a Japanese softball pitcher who plays for SHIONOGI in the Japan Diamond Softball League and represents Japan internationally. She has won gold medals at the Asian Games and the Women's Softball World Cup and a silver medal at the World Games.

Career

Miwa was born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and attended Seijō High School. She joined Toyota Motor Corporation's women's softball team in 2017 and played for the Toyota Red Terriers through 2023. In 2024, she joined SHIONOGI, where she continued her career as a pitcher.

Miwa represented Japan at the 2017 Junior Women's Softball World Championship. She later joined the senior national team and competed at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, where Japan won the silver medal in women's softball.

At the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, held in 2023, Miwa was part of the Japanese team that won the gold medal in women's softball. She also represented Japan at the 2023 Women's Softball World Cup Group Stage.

In July 2024, Miwa played for Japan at the Women's Softball World Cup Finals in Italy. She started against Puerto Rico in the preliminary round, pitching three scoreless innings in an 8–0 victory. Japan went on to defeat the United States 6–1 in the final to win the world championship.

During the 2024 Japan Diamond Softball League season, Miwa recorded 19 wins and seven losses and received the league's Most Wins Pitcher award in the Western Division. She was also selected to the division's Best Nine as a pitcher.

In 2026, Miwa represented Japan at the Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya. She pitched in the preliminary round, including Japan's 15–0 victory over Thailand and its 10–0 win over Singapore. Japan defeated China 7–0 in the final to win the gold medal, its seventh consecutive Asian Games title.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "女子TOP日本代表選手" [Japan women's national team players]. Japan Softball Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "三輪 さくら｜アスリート" [Sakura Miwa – Athlete profile]. Japanese Olympic Committee (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  3. ↑ "三輪 さくら" [Sakura Miwa]. SHIONOGI (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  4. ↑ "女子GEM3(U19)日本代表" [Japan women's U19 national team]. Japan Softball Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  5. ↑ "第17回女子ワールドカップ・ファイナルステージ 試合レポート 予選ラウンド第2戦" [17th Women's Softball World Cup Finals: Preliminary round, game 2 report]. Japan Softball Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  6. ↑ "第17回女子ワールドカップ ファイナル 大会概要・出場選手" [17th Women's Softball World Cup Finals: Tournament overview and players]. Japan Softball Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  7. ↑ "JD.LEAGUE 2024表彰選手決定のお知らせ" [2024 JD.League award winners announced]. Japan Diamond Softball League (in Japanese). December 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  8. ↑ "第20回アジア競技大会 試合レポート：予選ラウンド第３戦 日本 vs タイ" [20th Asian Games: Japan vs Thailand, preliminary round game 3 report]. Japan Softball Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  9. ↑ "第20回アジア競技大会 試合レポート：予選ラウンド第４戦 日本 vs シンガポール" [20th Asian Games: Japan vs Singapore, preliminary round game 4 report]. Japan Softball Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 October 2026.