648 V2 ch120 (2/2)
I gave him a small shove.
Travis, the one who told me that I had recovered nicely, laughed. ”Ah, don't worry, I understand. I used to be shy too when I was in elementary school. But baseball really helped me make friends. It's like, having something in common with others really helps connecting you with like-minded people.”
Noah's grin faltered for a second but it was only noticeable to me. He had lost friends because of baseball. ”Yea, I agree. You make a lot of friends when you're on a team.”
”Unless you suck.” Adam, another guy in our group, stated. He sighed. ”It's tough being the weakest link.” I then recalled that he was one of the slower guys in our group.
”There's no such thing in baseball.” Noah said. ”It's all about strong suits and weaknesses. You might be weak at running, but strong at hitting. I'm weak at hitting, but good at everything else.”
His boast made the others laugh as we reached the next station. It was another grassy area, with two coaches in chairs and one coach holding a bat.
Chandler nodded at the group of men, then faced us. ”This group consists of middle infielders, but that doesn't mean you all don't have to catch fly balls. Coach Jason here, will be hitting either short or long balls. It'll be up to your own judgement; no hints will be given. Five balls per person.” He checked his watch. ”If we all finish in the given amount of time, I'll allow a second round for those not satisfied with their first performance.”
With that reassurance, a lot of the guys relaxed and formed a line. With a chance for a do-over, a lot of the guys made some risky dives in the grass to try and catch the ball. Noah made the most outstanding grabs: diving forward and chasing the baseball back, showing off some speed again. The ball had no chance of touching the ground with his speed.
After he came back, the other guys in the group congratulated him for making some great grabs. He was like a walking highlight reel. I started to regret getting in line behind him.
Coach Jason gave me time to run out to the open area, but didn't give any hints to how far or close I should stand. I could only stop randomly and faced him.
He tossed the ball up to himself and then swung his bat. The ball went almost straight up! I sprinted forward, and made a diving catch.
”Nice, Jake!” I heard Noah cheering for me.
I tossed the ball back towards Chandler, who was next to the ball bucket. Then I hurried back to the general spot and waited for the next ball. The second ball was hit towards my left, but still in front of me, so it was a routine catch. The third pitch went to my right, and ended up hitting my glove wrong, rolling away from me. I gulped. I guess I won't be getting a perfect score.
”Don't mind!” A chorus of voices came from my group.
I smiled. We had only known each other for an hour yet they're already cheering for me. I'm glad I didn't get stuck in an overly competitive group.
I got set again for the fourth hit. It was another routine fly. I got under it and caught it with ease. Hit number five was the hardest, going over my head. I chased it back, but couldn't catch up. I could only pick the ball up off the grass and bring it back to the group.