"Robbie will take first." Coach started to give out instructions to the others on their positions. "Jesse, you have experience at third. Logan, play short. Dalton, you stay at second." He sent them out and away before turning to us. "Noah, I don't need to help you with baserunning, correct?"
Noah gave a short nod. "Don't worry, Coach. I'm a pro." He gave a crooked grin. "Plus, I don't think it'll matter much in the beginning." He jogged to first base.
Coach looked at me. "Don't hit any homeruns. It'll be a nuisance to get the baseballs back."
My lips twitched. "Do you want them to land in the same area?"
Coach shook his head but was smiling. "You do what you want."
Didn't sound like a 'no' to me.
He moved behind Oscar and signaled for Marshel to wrap it up. He threw one more pitch and got the ball back from Oscar again. Coach waved for me to step up. "Don't be fouling any of the balls back. I don't have any protective gear on."
"I'll protect you, Coach." Oscar assured him.
"You could probably block some, but it's better to tell Jake not to aim it back here just in case." Coach patted the catcher on his helmet.
"I'll keep it in play." It was my turn to reassure Coach. I got in the lefty's box and got set to face Marshel. It wasn't the first time and I honestly didn't know why he would expect different results in only a couple of months.
Marshel started with a fastball, just a little inside. I could have let it pass for a ball, but I wanted to start out strong. I swung, connected, and hit the ball right up the middle towards center field. Noah took off, running and tagging second, heading to third.
I looked back at Coach. "Was I supposed to run too? There's no one in the outfield to field after all."
Coach shook his head. "No, you don't have to run." He raised his voice. "Get back to first, Noah."
Noah turned back and jogged back to first.
Oscar went and got a new baseball from a nearby bucket. He threw it to Marshel.
I had stepped out of the box and took a couple of practice swings. Trying to hit an inside pitch up the center was a bit tricky with my swing angle. Probably would have messed up if he threw faster.
Everyone was back in position for pitch two. I stepped up. The pitch came...and went back to center field with the swing of my bat. Noah was running the bases again.
I glanced back at Coach as Oscar went to get a new baseball. Coach gave me a small nod. "Keep going."
I didn't mind. Marshel was just a little bit better than a pitching machine. I got into the groove, constantly hitting the ball towards center field. To keep my mind busy, I tried to estimate whether a center fielder would make the catch or not. I had to keep the ball high enough out of reach for the middle infielders, but low enough it could land before a center fielder would get to it.
"Coach...the bucket is out of baseballs." Oscar spoke up after half an hour of this. He showed the empty bucket to Coach as proof.
"You and the others go gather the balls." Coach told him, then looked at Marshel. "Come here."
Oscar left and Marshel came.
I awkwardly stood off to the side. "Want me to go help with the baseballs...?"
"No. I want you here for the conversation." Coach said. I gulped. He turned to Marshel. "How do you think you did?"
I froze. Awkward. So awkward. How was Marshel supposed to answer that? He couldn't even make me miss one pitch.
"l don't think it was a fair comparison so it's hard to say." Marshel told him.
"Fair?" Coach let out a small laugh. "You're both sophomores, correct?"
"Yes, but-"
"No. Hold on. You're both on the varsity team. You both have the same coach and same practice times." Coach started to list out what we shared in common. "The positions are clearly different, but I'm not grading you on your hitting or fielding. Just your pitching in which you specialize in. Jake specializes in hitting. So. What's the difference? Where and how can I make this a fair competition?"
"Jake is ranked number one in the county!" Marshel blurted out, exasperated. "Why do I have to face him? Why can't I take on any of the other starters?"
I looked at Coach, trying to avoid any eye contact with Marshel. He was clearly in an emotional state right now. I didn't want him to take his anger out on me.
"Do you get to choose who you face in a game?" Coach asked him. "No. You don't. You have to face whoever comes out. I understand that you're frustrated. You made varsity, but won't get the same play time as you would in the lower levels. I'm leaving it up to you. Do you want to stay? Or go down?"
It got silent. I glanced at Marshel and saw him with fists clenched at his side. He looked like he was struggling with the decision.
"Why don't we ask Jake his opinions first." Coach suggested in a lighter tone. He nodded at me.
I looked at him blankly. My opinion? On what? His pitching?
"Jake? Got anything to say about Marshel's pitching?" Coach prompted me.
I was drawing a blank. "Uhhh." I could only shrug, helpless. "He's not bad?"
Coach stifled a laugh by coughing.
"How can I not be bad?" Marshel asked. "I couldn't even get a pitch by you?"
"Neither can the twins." I pointed out.
That made Marshel pause.
Coach gave me a look and I realized I was on the right path. I thought about what to add before coming up with something. "I don't know much when it comes to pitching, but I can tell you what throws me off as a batter. Weird windups. Unusual throwing styles. Breaking balls."
Marshel looked me in the eyes. "You think I can be better?"
I shrugged. "Shouldn't you ask Coach? He's made me a better player." Whether I liked it or not.
Marshel looked to Coach. "Should I try learning a breaking ball?"
Coach hummed. "You should try talking to Coach Luis or one of the pitching coaches about it. They're not just around for supervising. They can lead you in the right direction, if you want to be led. They'll also be there every step of the way if you want to practice something new."
"I want to stay on varsity." Marshel suddenly answered Coach's previous question. "I want to pitch. I really do. Sitting in that bullpen is painful. But I want to get better and I want to face the best. And to face the best, I have to be here."
Coach nodded slowly. "I like your determination, Marshel. You're young, a bit immature. But I believe you'll grow into being a starter. You have to open up though. Look around. Everyone wants to play, everyone wants to win, everyone wants to be the best. You have to use the resources you're given to get that extra edge." He smiled. "A small reminder for you, Garret and the twins were once in the very same position as you. Fighting to get a start, fighting for time on the mound. Dave and Kyle would even take up relief spots just to get a little more. You've got to ask yourself, do you want it as bad as they do? Do you practice as much as them?"
Coach looked at me. "How much do the twins throw at home?"
I shrugged. "Almost every other day. We have to bargain for time at the cages. Like, Noah will catch a simulation for them one day. Then we go to cages the next. Some days they just use this board thing that helps them with their placement. Tells them the speed too." Dad got it for them last year, I remembered.
"What about other kinds of practice? Weightlifting? Running?" Coach asked.
"Yea, we do that too." I shrugged again. "Doesn't everyone?"
Coach looked back at Marshel. "Check with your teammates in the bullpen. I think you'll find yourself on the low end of practicing outside of practice time."
