The Hitting Zone

Everyone got their cleats off and packed their bags. The guys from the bullpen had showed up and helped us take out the trash and team equipment.

"You didn't let me down, Davey!" Kyle gave Dave a good shake, grinning like he was the one that got the win.

Noah squinted at him. I knew he was skeptical. Because I was too. Kyle would normally give Dave a hard time no matter how well he did. Especially in this kind of game where he gave up so many hits and even hit a guy to walk in a run.

"Don't mind him." Matt said, rolling his eyes. "Kyle collected some benefits in the bullpen because he bet that Coach wouldn't replace Dave."

Tyler, a fellow senior, sighed. "Coach just likes playing favorites. I really thought we would have a chance today."

Garret raised his eyebrows. "What benefits? Shouldn't Kyle have been resting?" He had pitched in the first game of the day.

"I think you've forgotten how uncomfortable some of these bullpens can be." Tyler answered. "One small bench can't fit all of us. Some either have to stand or sit in the dirt." His eyes drifted to Oscar, the only freshman on the team right now. He was a backup catcher and always in the bullpen. His jersey had a lot of dirt on it for someone who didn't play.

Garret shook his head. "You guys better not be bullies in there. You're a senior, take control."

"You can't control Kyle." Tyler shrugged. "Even I sacrificed my jacket as a cushion for him after that disastrous fifth inning."

I looked to Noah. "Why does it sound like Kyle was making bets in the bullpen?"

Noah grinned. "Sounds like we've got some leverage for the future."

I smiled and shook my head.

Everyone started to leave the dugout in smaller groups. This time Noah and Garret stuck on either side of me. The twins trailed right after us, talking about some of the challenges Dave ran into earlier in the game like how the opponents were very swing-happy.

Beyond the gated entrance to the field, adults stood around talking to one another, players were around in smaller groups, and even little kids were running around. It was very lively, especially as the sun was getting ready to set. Games still had to be played.

"Hello Jake." A man stopped us by standing in the way. He held a small notepad and pen. A reporter. "I'm Rayhan Farrell, from Sports Page Magazine. Can I have a moment of your time?"

Noah frowned.

Garret spoke up first, sounding neutral. "I'm sorry, sir. We just finished a game and need to meet up with our Coach. Can you save your questions for later?"

The man looked at Garret and nodded. "Sure. Of course. I wanted to ask him some questions too."

Garret took the lead and started walking again. Noah and I kept close. As we walked towards the coaches and some of the team, I could feel countless eyes on me. On us. It was like we were surrounded. I stuck a little closer to Noah and kept my eyes forward, on Coach. We joined the group and sat down, with the exception of Garret, who went to stand with Coach, talking in a low voice.

"Pretty sure you're going to have to talk to some of these vultures." Noah mumbled under his breath as we waited for the rest of the guys to show.

I shrugged, helpless. "Can't we just say no?"

"They'll just keep bugging you then." Noah shook his head. "Let's see what Coach says."

After everyone took a seat or a knee, Coach clapped his hands once to silence us. He looked around at the team. "It was a great day, boys. Kyle kept us in the game against University and our bats were alive against Heritage. Tomorrow, we'll strive for the same outcome: a win. We don't have an opponent yet. Their game is about to start so if anyone wants to hang back with me and some of the coaches, we'll stay as a group. For those going home or a nearby hotel, rest up. Tomorrow, we're bound to play a team on a similar level to University Prep." He nodded at Garret just a few feet away from him. "Garret will start game three."

"Didn't he hit the fence kind of hard?" Joey asked. "Why not let him rest for game three and save him for the finals?"

"I'm good to go. No problems." Garret spoke up, looking at Joey. "We'll worry about finals when we get there."

"Exactly." Coach nodded in agreement. "As for Sean," all eyes went to our team who had limped his way here. "He'll be on the bench for sure. Jason will cover first. As for the rest of the lineup, I'll determine that after knowing the next opponent. I'll send out a text with tomorrow's information regarding opponent and game time as soon as I know." He said a few more sentences about the pair of wins today before letting us go.

Before Noah and I even got up to talk to Coach, several men approached him.

"Coach Wilcox."

"Hey, Coach."

"Do you mind answering some questions?"

"I also have some questions."

Ehhh. I looked to Noah but he also was surprised. We've never seen our coach swarmed like that.

Coach was completely calm, holding up his hands, signaling for them to quiet down. "Yes, yes, I know." His eyes drifted to Garret. "Join us, Garret." He then looked my way. "You two as well. Jake. Noah."

"I'll go get Mom and Dad." I heard Dave say from behind me.

I dragged my feet as I went with Noah to join the crowd. It seemed to get a little bigger when Coach invited us over. Like even more people wanted to talk to us. I looked up at Coach, unsure of what was next.

"If there are any coaches or scouts that want to talk about interest or future commitments, I just want to say that now is not the time." Coach addressed. Over half of the group seemed to collectively backup.

I sighed with relief. But then felt a little anxious. That many people want to talk about my future? I resisted the urge to turn away. They had already backed up. There was nothing more I could do.

"Okay, then." Coach looked around. "What do you all want to talk about?"

"I specifically wanted to ask you about your team's win over University Preparatory High School." A man spoke up. After getting a nod from Coach, he continued. "With beating the number one team in the Northern Section, do you have some expectation for your team this tournament? This season?"

Coach answered directly. "Yes. I expect my boys to try their best. Winning has, is, and will always be the goal."

"There's no denying that you have a stacked roster this year with a great senior rotation. Do foresee your big three seniors to repeat similar numbers last year?"

"Absolutely." Coach nodded. "Garret, Kyle, and David are the best pitchers I've seen come through Watsonville High School. The three of them will only get better throughout the season as we get them back in shape."

"Are you saying that to comfort David Atkins, who had a less than stellar performance in the second game today?"

"David put in the work today. He did seven innings and gave up only three runs. He got the win. There's not much more I can ask of him." Coach sounded relaxed. "No pitcher is perfect and I don't ask mine to be despite their history of a couple perfect games among them. A feat that hasn't been accomplished in over a decade. As long as my boys keep a steady mind and work hard, the results will come."

"Last year, your team was mercy-ruled by University Preparatory." Someone else spoke up. "This year, you've won with a little bit of cushion. What was some of the key differences to get this kind of turnaround?"

"First off, I consider us lucky to face them so early on in the tournament this year." Coach started. "Last year, we met in the semifinals and had lost some star players. None of the big three pitchers could go and our former number one player was hurt. Being able to come out with our best lineup was a big difference maker."

"I have the box score from last year with me. It says Jake Hollander went 0-2. Is this the same player, Jake Atkins? Can we ask him about this?"