*Third Person Perspective*
"It's going to be a tough game today, boys." Coach Wilson addressed his team as the bus drove him and his varsity baseball team to an away game less than an hour away. He looked around, making eye contact with a select few. "Watsonville has been making a name for themselves for a few years now. They capitalized on it last year going all the way. I want us to get this win and really challenge them to see who wins league."
"We've just been unlucky." A senior, Allen, spoke up. "We keep having these small losses. Last year, Golden West sneaked by, beating us by one. Then these guys did it twice to us. Straight up, blaming luck."
"Yea, and has nothing to do with them having the best family in baseball." Someone joked and laughed. "Face it, it's more like bad timing. The Atkins first had Zeke, followed by twin pitchers, and then two more for the infield. They're practically a team on their own."
A few of the guys laughed and joked.
The upperclassmen didn't share the same carefree attitude. A lot of them felt the sting of those close losses last year. Especially those that were friends with some of the best pitchers in the league last year like Alex Sanchez and Ernest Williamson. Seniors that didn't get to even win league and go out on top.
"I don't think they're all that great." A sophomore spoke up, quieting the bus down with his statement. He had a scowl on his face, clearly opposed to the compliments the Atkins family got.
Coach Wilson looked at the young man for an extra beat. "Do you want to try opening a game on the mound instead of closing it, Danny?"
Danny sneered. "Defeats the purpose of a starter, don't you think, Coach?"
Coach Wilson gave a light shrug. "Hey, I'm just offering so you have a for sure chance against the second best player in the state. You're so adamant that you could take him. Why not take the chance and face him right away? He would definitely be in the beginning part of the lineup."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Don't think you can trick me, Coach. I'm a closer. I rather save the game than be a flash in the pan." He glanced at his teammate in the row across from him. "Face him head on this time, Cody."
Cody didn't look up from his phone. "I follow Coach's plans."
"Yea, because it worked so well like last time, right?" He snorted.
Cody gave him the side eye. "It did work. Look at Jake Atkins stat line. He had one hit. A single that led to nothing. He wasn't baited in the second plate appearance, but I was still able to pick him off first. Coach's instructions did work."
Danny snorted. "You walked him to load the bases, then gave up the sac fly that made us lose."
"No fault of Coach's. I got tired and was losing control." Cody defended his coach.
"Exactly! You got tired!" Danny twisted in his seat to look at him directly. "If I was brought in just a bit sooner, we could have kept them at bay."
The bus was silent. It wasn't the first time these two underclassmen argued over time and performance on the mound. They had history from their freshmen year last season when they both played for JV.
"Not exactly the tone I had wanted to set on the way to the game." Coach Wilson chuckled like his star pitchers weren't just bickering over their last loss. "Let me remind everyone here, that we win and lose as a team. There's always something more someone could have done. Even myself. Our loss against Watsonville last month could be blamed on me not taking Cody out sooner. I underestimated them and overestimated us. I thought we could pull off a double play, but things didn't go our way. It happens. You boys will see it more in the higher levels. You can't win them all."
"Unless you're Watsonville." A relief pitcher pointed out. "They're on the longest active win streak stretching back from last year. In the one game that that kid didn't play in. It's crazy."
"No kidding." Another starter said. "Have you looked at his stats. His average is highest in the country at all levels, plus his strikeout percentage is nearly nonexistent."
"Every player has his advantages and weaknesses." Coach Wilson tried to regain the attention of his team. "We will do our best to fend him off at the plate." He looked at Cody. "Don't give him one good pitch that can make it to the warning track. Everything has to be low and a breaking ball. Just like before, don't be afraid of the walk. His baserunning is subpar. You have to try multiple pickoff attempts to keep him close to the bag."
"Yes." Cody nodded.
He spared a glanced at Danny. "Pay attention from the bullpen. I'll try to be more proactive myself. If we get in a jam, we'll be counting on you."
"Tch. Of course." Danny crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. "But also, if we get blown out. I want to face him. Man to man."
"Bro, you're not a man. You can't even drive yet." Someone said, making most of the bus laugh.
Coach Wilson held his hands up, motioning for the team to settle down. "It's not just the pitchers who put in the work today. The starters need to start taking care of business at the plate. I want to see a lot more contact and a lot more hustle. If the opportunity arises, let's slap a few more grounders towards second base and make the best player in the league do some work."
"Yea!" The team echoed.
"Do we know if it's the same twin as last time?"
Coach Wilson shook his head. "It's very likely. I can confirm that it's not their lefty, Garret Knudsen. He just did his second perfect game against Porterville. He won't be eligible due to pitch count, but definitely in the lineup. Either before or after Jake Atkins as the number two on their offense."
"Makes me miss Alex." A senior said.
"Same."
"Right."
"I don't think we've seen David. We've seen Kyle for three years straight." Allen spoke up. "I know they used to pitch very similar to one another, but Kyle has changed. Don't know if the other did too."
"Once we see who's working out in the bullpen, I'll start working on our own lineup." Coach Wilson said. "Everyone warms up with the same intensity as this might be our last game of the season. Because if we don't win here, Watsonville is on their way to winning league again."
