A player is about to pitch a ball during a match at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing in June. [GUAN XIN/CHINA DAILY]

Tan Xin is one example.

As a graduate of UIBE, the 24-year-old Tan, who learned to play baseball six years ago as a university freshman, has found a job in Guangzhou, where he plans to play baseball again.

"I cannot have lifelong teammates, but I can have lifelong friends through baseball," said Tan, who used to be the captain of the team.

"Before picking up baseball, I was self-centered. But through these six years of playing the sport, I learned to communicate more with others and care about others' feeling. I will continue playing baseball. I'm sure I can find new friends to play with in Guangzhou."

The progress is not enough to narrow the gap between Beijing and Shanghai and other cities.

"The level of baseball in colleges and universities is relative high in Beijing and Shanghai, but the development is not that balanced in other cities," Xie said. "MLB has started to help promote the sport in cities like Guangzhou, Changsha and Chengdu. We expect to set up a national league system in coming years."