345 Tryout Results 2 (1/2)
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. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
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.