The Hitting Zone

"College players are definitely held to a higher level." Dave said with a sigh. "Especially at a division one school with a chance to play in the College World Series."

Kyle nodded in agreement. "No weak links allowed."

"That's not necessarily true." Mr. Atkins explained. "Each player can have a strong suit like throwing, fielding, batting or pitching. This is just good fundamentals. I'm sure each coach has a different bottom line for their minimum requirement. It's all about finding the perfect fit."

"Zeke could fit in anywhere with any team." Noah stated, confident in his oldest brother's ability.

Mr. Atkins smiled with pride as he turned to watch Zeke workout with the team. "He's very adaptable."

"The only question is whether he can keep developing at each level." A stranger walked in the row in front of us. He was average at best in height and looks. He wore a baseball cap with a logo on it, and had sunglasses on to block the glare of the late afternoon sun. "Wayne, Mary, how are you two doing?" He took off his glasses and put them away in a jacket pocket. He then held out his hand for Mr. Atkins to shake.

Mr. Atkins complied, and gave this stranger a handshake and a smile. "Hello Will, we're doing well, thanks. How are you?"

"Oh you know...just a lot of traveling up and down the coast now that high school baseball is officially starting everywhere." He shook hands with Mrs. Atkins next. "Imagine my surprise when I heard that Zeke would be visiting a college. I dropped what I was doing and hustled here on a red-eye flight."

Mrs. Atkins took her hand back before replying. "You shouldn't have. It's not like Zeke is making a commitment just yet. We want him to explore his options."

"Entering the draft is a valid option!" Willie said energetically. "Zeke would definitely be a top pick by the end of his senior season and can secure a guaranteed contract."

"Willie, we're just showing Zeke some college options right now." Mr. Atkins said in a calm manner. "He never used his official college visits so we asked him to at least look some over. I know your set on pushing him to the draft, but even if he does get drafted, he can still decline."

Willie wasn't discouraged by their cold attitude. "Right! Which means you should see where he'll land at least. If it's in the later round, he could go do some years in college, and possibly move up to be an overall number one pick."

Noah and the twins gasped. I was still a little lost on who this guy was, but it seemed like he had something to do with players going in the draft and becoming pros.

"Or," He added in a somber tone. "He could drop in the draft if he performs poorly in college. Then he would have trouble getting any scouts like me to look at him."

The twins shifted around a little restlessly. Mr. Atkins wasn't fazed. "We'll see. Zeke is a hard worker with tremendous talent. I won't force him either way, but I won't let others force him either." He pointed to the field. "And it looks like he's fitting right on in."

All of our eyes drifted to the field. The team had started to conduct some fielding drills after splitting between infielders and outfielders. Pitchers and catchers had presumably gone off to the bullpen. Zeke stood with the outfielders not looking like a high schooler with college guys. He caught high fly balls, dove for line drives, and smoothly picked grounders out just like the rest of them. You couldn't really tell that it was a tryout. It was just a practice.

The 'Willie' guy pulled out a notepad and started to jot some things down while mumbling. "Outstanding. No signs of nervousness or hesitation. He's definitely suited for the pros."

I tugged on Noah's sleeve and pointed at this guy, who seems to know the Atkins. "Who is he?"

Noah shrugged. "I don't know." He looked to his dad on the other side. "Dad, who is he?" Noah didn't lower his voice like I did. He just used his normal voice to ask his dad about the guy in front of us.

Willie quickly turned around. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. I'm Willie Ramsey, a scout with the Chicago Cubs. I've met with Zeke and your parents before, and spoken in length to Zeke's coach. Which is your coach too." His eyes sparkled as he looked at the family as a whole. "Coach Wilcox has mentioned how great the team is this year thanks to the presence of the Atkins family. No doubt, good genes play a factor."

Mrs. Atkins blushed. "Don't be ridiculous. Please sit down; you're blocking the view for me. I want to watch Zeke enjoy some playing time with college players."

"Right!" He sat down, but still turned to face us. "The twins, Kyle and Dave, who is who?"

Dave and Kyle looked at one another, then turned to face the man simultaneously. "Guess."

The man let out a chuckle. "I was interested in the one who threw a perfect game."

Kyle straightened up right away. "Me!"

Dave snorted, crossing his arms across his chest. "Against a crappy team."

Willie laughed at how quick they fell apart. "Still a wonderful feat. Congrats, Kyle. Dave, I'm sure you're not far behind." He looked at me and Noah. His eyes focused on Noah. "And you're Noah. The youngest. You look just like your mom."

Noah wasn't won over. He put his hand on the top of my head. "Incorrect. Jake here is younger than I am."

The man was taken aback. "What? I thought there were only four of you altogether."

"What's it to you?" Noah glared, becoming defensive. I've noticed that whenever someone tries to dig into my business, Noah was always the first to attack and snap back.

"Noah." Mr. Atkins warned, reeling him back in. He smiled at Willie. "Jake lives with us. He's also on the team."

"The varsity team?" He scrutinized my appearance. "The same team as your sons?"

"Got a problem with it?" Noah demanded.

"Nope, just curious." He gestured to the field. "I'm going to work now. Let's share a conversation afterwards." As quick as he was to start talking, he shut up just as fast. He studied the practice like he would be quizzed on it; taking notes every so often in his messy hand writing.

We watched as Zeke participated in their practice as if he, himself, had a game tomorrow. He dove at every ball that may or may not be in reach. He wasn't afraid to get dirty as they ran around the bases working on their slides and situationals. Their batting practice was more elaborate than ours and included several different pitchers, with righty's and lefty's. Zeke didn't have any problems hitting anything close and wasn't cocky as a few had left the stadium into the forest. Zeke was just as cool as in every day life, not showing a change in expression.