Chapter 29 - Building Team Spirit

Chapter 29: Building Team Spirit

The next week I had made some changes, if I made the baseball squad, I would need a later lift home after practice. Rory still hadn’t found a job yet, so I said I would fill the truck with gas if he would pick me up when I needed it.

He was happy to agree, he had been finding it hard having the truck and not being able to use it due to lack of cash.

Monday morning I checked the next list outside the Head coach’s office. I was happy to see my name was still in the list.

The number of names had diminished to just twenty names now, which was a usual team size, comparing it to the JV and Varsity lists which were also there.

In shop on Tuesday, Mr. Carter announced that the bodywork on the Jeep and Toyota was completed, so our part as freshman was done, we would still have lessons, but they would no longer be on the vehicles, but on individual panels he brought in for us to work on.

That got the class excited, if the other classes were as well forward as we were, then it was close to the time the Jeep would be raffled off to one of the students.

I was progressing nicely in all of my advanced classes. My Spanish lessons had progressed also to the point where the teacher was no longer involving me in discussions, saying I was good enough not to need the practice.

Wednesday was baseball practice again, I was in the changing room with a bunch of the freshman, when another walked in, “Don’t worry everyone, Nobel is here, with me at shortstop, no one is going to score well against us, it will just be up to the rest of you to get enough hits on the ball, to get us a few runs.” He bragged. He was the same kid who had spoken up about me playing the week before.

I asked one of the cross country guys who I knew a little bit if he was any good.

“He thinks so, he played little league in that position and his team won last year, but I don’t know if that was due to him or the rest of the team.”

Before I ask another question, Coach Jamison told us all to hustle up and get out to the field. I grabbed my glove and followed the rest out.

Coach Stevens was waiting for us at the diamond. “Right, I will call out a name and the position I want them to take, these are not definite, but my decision is final, understand.”

“Yes Sir.” We all roared out in response.

He went through his list starting with outfielders, then infielders, I was a little surprised but really happy when I was called at shortstop. Nobel was called to be first base, by his red face, he definitely was not happy with that.

We did a mock game, Coach Stevens stood in the plate and hit balls all-round the diamond, which we had to field and get to the appropriate base, the guys who hadn’t been given positions were runners who ran the bases, it was up to us to try and field the ball and get them out.

Next were the pitchers throwing to the runners batting, so they had a chance to bat as well, when they had their turn, they would be switched with one of the fielders, who would go in and try their hand at batting. After my turn at batting, the first I just fouled, the second I caught a lot of, sending it out into the outfield, I made second base before I was stopped by the throw in.

When I got back to the plate, Coach Stevens sent me to the bullpen to warm my arm up for some pitching.

I was back in ten minutes for my turn on the mound.

I had to hide a grin when I saw who I had after the first batter. I would have to pitch to Nobel.

Coach Sharp was standing behind the catcher calling the plays he wanted, also refereeing the strike zone.

The first pitch I was told to do was my fastball, I groaned internally, I really hoped he didn’t hit it out of the park. I was really surprised when he mistimed it completely swinging too late for a strike. The next call was for a curve ball, which got him caught up in his body for strike two, and then another fastball was called for. This one he got a piece of but it popped up for an easy out.

Then Nobel stepped into the batter’s box, he pointed his bat at me, like he was going to hit me all over the park. Coach called for change up, he swung so early he was nearly facing the wrong way when the ball got to him for strike one. He got a red face, being made to look stupid, he dug in for the next pitch, coach was asking for a curve ball, this one started off a little closer to the batter than I normally throw, Nobel just stood there expecting a ball, but it did swing just enough to catch a bit of the plate. When Coach called it a strike I thought Nobel was going to go off on him, but he managed to stop himself before getting ready again. Coach called for a fastball, if he was going to hit any it would be this, he did catch a bit of the ball, but it was a bad hit which went foul. Coach called for another fastball, I really gave this one all I could, not sacrificing my technique, but really throwing it as hard as I could. Nobel swung at it, but was late and he was out with three strikes.

Nobel threw his bat away in disgust, but a word from Coach Sharp, had him go over to pick it up and put it back in the rack.

I pitched to three more guys; one got a hit for a single, but the other two struck out.