The Hitting Zone
chapter-344

After Zeke left us, the three of us sat on the bench and waited for the coaches to wrap it up. The afternoon practice was starting to run long, but something about it was bothering me. I didn't realize what it was until Noah said something to Kyle.

"No Dave yet?" Noah asked, looking around, examining the bleachers and other dugout. That's when it hit me, that Dave didn't show up. He said he might even be able to come home before we left for practice, yet he didn't. And now he wasn't present at all.

Kyle's lips thinned, and his eyebrows fell in. "Nope. I was worried about an hour ago, so I pulled out my phone to text Mom. She said that it's just a long wait since the doctor was squeezing him in on short notice."

"It's just a broken nail...can't he just tear it off and wait until it regrows?" Noah asked.

Kyle gave a half shrug. "Probably don't want to damage the nail bed. That could affect the growth." He smiled, albeit a little forced. "This just means I have time to cushion my numbers and stats while he sits the bench."

"I feel bad for Marie." Noah said out of nowhere.

"What do you mean?" Kyle's eyes narrowed.

"All you do is focus on baseball." Noah laughed. "I bet she dumps you before the end of April."

"We haven't even gone on a date yet." Kyle hissed in a low voice. "We've been grounded for so long. Baseball is all we got. Marie understands."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "Does she?"

Kyle frowned. "She plays softball. She should understand."

"Okay." Noah shrugged.

"Gather up!" Coach hollered from the mound, grabbing everyone's attention. "Everyone who cares should be sitting on the grass in the next two minutes."

"Shoot. What a trap!" Kyle said as he followed the pitchers.

I looked at Noah. "Why'd you suddenly bring up Marie? Did Kaylee text you?"

Noah nodded. "Got a text at lunch. She said her sister was worried that Kyle wasn't interested anymore since he hasn't really been in contact this week. Now I can text her back to say he still cares."

"Oh."

"C'mon, let's go grab a spot before all the scrubs join us." Noah pulled my sleeve, dragging me out of the dugout. I didn't know what he meant by scrubs until I saw those that had watched from the stands, come onto the field to join us. We were able to get spots on the soft grass while some of the unlucky ones had to sit in the dirt.

"Boys, listen up." Coach raised his voice and everyone got silent. He looked around. "There have been some changes to the varsity roster. Some of you will be happy, but I won't lie to you, a majority of you will be upset. That's how it is in this sport. I can only tell you that in order to advance to the next level, you must put the work in and have results to show for it. As always, this roster is subjected to be changed at any time to my liking. Even if we perform well and never lose, that doesn't mean I'll stop looking for improvements. So stay focused regardless of your team level."

He continued. "As stated before, the pitching won't change. As of now it's still: Garret Knudsen, Kyle Atkins, Dave Atkins, James Lohr, Theo Hixson, Bryce Finn, Brian Swoope, Troy Hardman, Tyler Larsen, Ryan Lewicki, and Matt Dalquist." He glanced down at his clipboard. "Now onto the outfield: Zeke Atkins, Mahki Holstrom, and Tanner Erickson."

Tanner?! The Tanner I know? I looked around, but even when sitting down it was hard for me to see and spot him in the crowd. I'll have to check with Garret after this.

"Infield: Jason Morris, Sean Isner, Noah Atkins, Jake Hollander. Julian Wilson will stay on the roster as he's recovering from his foot injury. Same with Kelvin Bender. As most of you know, he got hurt yesterday. We've received notice of his elbow injury, but I believe he'll still contribute to the team from the bench. Catchers, Alex Farrell and Mitchell Torres will fill in the gaps left behind by Kelvin and Jordan."

I was relieved to hear my name right after Noah's. Everything worked out.

"If I didn't call your name, gather at the jv field for placement." Coach looked at the crowd. "Varsity stay with me so we can go over the plan for tomorrow's game. Everyone else, go."

Coach wasn't to be messed with today. He was in no mood for bickering or for those that waste time. He sent everyone away in minutes, leaving us with our new varsity team. I was happy to see that it was the Tanner that I know. Good for him.

"I know most of you are concerned about the game tomorrow given that we had two practices today and made some significant changes to the roster." Coach spoke. I lowered my head in guilt, I really didn't give tomorrow much thought. "I have a lineup in mind so bear with me.

1 3B Jason Morris

2 LF Garret Knudsen

3 2B Jake Hollander

4 CF Zeke Atkins

5 RF Mahki Holstrom

6 SS Noah Atkins

7 1B Sean Isner

8 C Alex Farrell

9 P Kyle Atkins

This isn't set in stone." His eyes made contact with everyone. "With Dave out as well, our starters will change to keep Garret and Kyle with lower pitch counts. Relievers expect to get some work in this next few games."

He focused on Garret. "Before you get all upset, think about our upcoming schedule. Not so bad now, but after three more games, we'll have to face conference teams in a string of close games. We need these boys to get some work in to prepare themselves."

Garret gave a meek nod.

His eyes went to Sean next. "Sean, we'll be working on you to learn every position in the infield. With John, Chris, and Daniel off the team, you'll need to be our utility guy. If either freshmen gets hurt or needs a break, we'll move you over and put Bryce at first. It'll be smoother when Julian comes back, but I don't want you to lose focus. You've been doing good on both offense and defense."

Sean nodded with a smile. He would be a starter for tomorrow for sure, and then won't have to be sat until Julian gets healthy again. Even then, he'll be named the main utility player so he's like the tenth man on the team.

"Tanner Erickson." Coach focused on my group member. "You'll be in right field on the days Garret isn't in the outfield. I know it's a hard pill to swallow, but I like your work ethic and know you won't disappoint."

"Thanks Coach." Tanner said, acting shy.

He looked to Kyle. "Efficiency will be key tomorrow in determining how long you'll be pitching. It's not a league game so I'm restricting your count to 75. Not a ball more. If you don't hit that number at all, great! You did a whole game. If you hit 75 pitches in the third inning, I'm pulling you. Understand?"

Kyle nodded, not looking too bothered. 75 must be a good number for him.

Coach turned to me. "And Jake." I sat up straight. "Good work in the cage today, but..." He shook his head in disappointment. "Monday, we'll work on sliding again."

I want to cry.