The Hitting Zone



"Dave was about to leave the bullpen and rushed the field when you went down." Matt told me while shaking his head. "We practically had to hold him down, telling him to wait for Kyle to make the first move." He looked at Kyle. 

Kyle shrugged. "They were holding me back here too."

"Jake doesn't like fights." Noah reminded everyone. 

We had just finished celebrating on the field and was packing up the dugout now. A lot of the guys complained about being hungry and Coach promised we would stop on the way home for a big feast. All parents were invited to come too, but us players still had to take the bus back to school for legal reasons. 

"It'd be bad for all of us if we got into a fight anyways." Marshel stated, drawing a lot of attention to himself. "We were winning. If we got in trouble for fighting, wouldn't we have to forfeit the next game?"

"That would be a BS decision." Noah tidied up his bag and picked it up. "No point in speculating what would have happened." He cracked his knuckles. "But if it happens continuously, trying to take out our best player, there's only one way to settle things."

"Yes, by leaving it to me." Coach took over. He looked around the dugout at everybody. "The season is almost over boys. Two more wins. That's it. I want everyone to be on their best behavior. On and off the field. No fighting of any kind."

"Even if Jake gets pegged in the head?" Noah was skeptical. "Because I don't think I can hold back if he gets seriously hurt."

"First, you would have to find someone willing to pitch to him." Garret laughed. "Flipping double plays probably puts him at the most risk." He looked at me. "Switch to the outfield. No one will run into you there."

"Not a bad idea." Coach nodded. 

I froze like a statue.

"Bambi's got that 'deer in the headlights' look." Dave joked and got a few of the guys to laugh. He shook me by my shoulders. "Okay, snap out of it. It's not the scariest thing in the world. In fact, you should be happy that you won't be knocked over anymore."

"I'd be happy if high school baseball had a DH position." I rolled my eyes. 

The guys really laughed at that one. 

"It's just an idea." Coach assured me. "I'll be speaking with the officials of CIF to see if they can be a little more aware of aggressive or unnecessary plays. I won't let you get hurt."

"I just think it's crazy that we're more upset about it than he is." Kyle shook his head. 

"Alright, it's getting late." Coach clapped his hands twice. "Grab your gear and head for the bus. We'll do a head count there so you all better not run off."

"Can we stop to talk to our parents for a bit?" Jason asked. 

"Yes. Just for a moment though. Otherwise no where will be open for dinner by the time we make it out of here."

We all filed out, one after another. Noah, me, and the twins headed for Grampa, Mom, and Dad. Ryan was still nearby and was even talking to a familiar face. Coach Rob from the Regional Team Tryouts. 

I looked at Noah, somehow feeling nervous. 

"Hey Coach, what are you doing here?" Noah was straightforward as always. 

Coach Rob shook Noah's hand and then mine. "Of course I came to see the talent. You boys played a good game today."

I took back my hand and looked away, feeling uncomfortable. How could I have been good at all today? No hits. Was knocked over. Pulled out in the last inning. He probably felt disappointed with this kind of showing. "I'm sorry." I felt obligated to apologize. 

"What are you sorry for?" Coach Rob sounded surprised. 

I looked to Noah for help. 

Noah gave me a knowing look, yet he didn't speak up for me. "Go ahead, Jake. Tell him what's up. He's your future coach. For the summer at least."

I tried not to visibly cringe.

Noah turned to Ryan. "Surprised you bothered with a trip out here when Kyle wouldn't even be allowed in the bullpen."

Ryan grinned. "Kyle is a confirmed client, but I still have to network and get my name out there. Not just among the players, but all the scouts that came too." He looked at me. "You really attract a crowd."

I frowned and looked down at my feet, embarrassed. 

Noah sighed and took over. "Jake doesn't feel good about his walks." He looked to Coach Rob. "Probably feels like you wasted a trip since he didn't get to do much today."

"Well, not to say you aren't important, Jake. But you already have a spot on my team." Coach Rob said, making me look up at him. "I'll be going to all CIF playoff games. At all division levels. Look for any players who might have not been interested in trying out for the team. Or maybe who couldn't afford it."

"Oh."

"Did you see anything or anyone you liked today?" Noah asked. 

Coach Rob shook his head. "Not for my age group. It's good to go to these games, but I'm also limited to the freshmen and sophomores. And sometimes the sophomores birthdays aren't falling in my range either. It's a tricky process. Most of our players will be from our tryouts."

"I recommended a decent pitcher to try out." Noah told him. "He's a sophomore. And, he's even willing to pitch against Jake."

Coach Rob looked interested. He pulled out his phone. "What's the name so I can keep an eye out?"

"He'll stand out on his own." Noah shrugged. "But the name is Danny. He throws faster than my brothers."

"He does not." Kyle slapped Noah upside the head, knocking his cap off. He had come over just in time to hear Noah. 

Noah picked up his hat. "Hey, that's abuse. Don't act like a fool in front of your future agent."

"That was a love tap." Kyle refuted. He nodded towards Ryan before turning to us. "We have to get going. Most of the guys are already on the bus."

"Yea, okay." Noah turned to Coach Rob. "See you next time?"

"I'll be around." He nodded. "You boys do your best and have fun. Don't slack afterwards though. Round two of tryouts is just around the corner."

"I'll be ready." Noah pumped his fists. 

"I'll be there with Noah." I confirmed. 

We finished saying some goodbyes and hurried to the bus. We put our bags away in storage and boarded a very jubilant bus. 

"Any idea who's starting on Monday yet, Coach?" Kyle asked as we passed Coach on the first seat. 

"I'm thinking about flipping a quarter." Coach joked. 

"Not a bad idea." Kyle didn't object. 

Coach got up, looking around the bus. He whistled to get everyone's attention. "Okay. Listen up. Tomorrow we still practice like normal. Saturday and Sunday, you're on your own. I'm trusting in you boys to put the work in and prepare for Monday's semifinal. Tomorrow, we'll do a coin flip to decide which twin gets the start. The other will be in the bullpen."

Dave stood up. "I haven't pitched in the longest. It should be me."

"Are you the coach?" Kyle snorted. 

Coach sighed and started to wave his hands. "Coin flip. 50/50 chance. It's as fair as it gets. Otherwise I'm going with Garret again."

"I'll be ready, Coach." Garret told him. 

"Of course you will be." Coach sat back down, mumbling under his breath. He had a tough job picking among a lot of good pitchers. But there were worse problems in the game of baseball to have. 

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