The Hitting Zone



Coach Ryan thanked Noah for sharing, then asked his own team if they had anything to share. 

"Not really about our game, but did you guys win?" Someone asked. 

Noah grinned. "Of course! 10-7."

"It wasn't as pretty nor as perfect as the games I pitch." Dave jumped in, referencing his perfect game from just a couple days ago. 

"Did your hit streak continue?" Someone different asked, but was looking directly at me. 

"Yea, even added another homer!" Noah excitedly told them. "Coach said he tied our brother's record for sophomore home runs. Granted, this is very specific. I'm sure there have been sophomores that have done more than six home runs in a regular season. Our school only keeps track of varsity stats though so it's a little biased."

"Only the varsity level matters." Someone said lightly. 

"It's true that it gets the most attention, but I think every level matters." Noah replied. 

"Can you say that even though you went straight to varsity?" 

Noah had everyone's attention now. He didn't look awkward about answering though. He just grinned. "You get to play. That's the most important. Having fun is right up there. And then, working to improve. Think of it this way, you have a goal to get to a higher level. I think the lower levels work the hardest because of that. Once people make it to the top, then some start to slide." He shrugged. "Coach Wilcox isn't afraid to change things up at any time. No one is a guaranteed starter and no one is guaranteed a spot on varsity. Heck, even Jake has been benched a few games."

I made a face at his back. Can you stop bringing me up? It's drawing unwanted attention. 

"Yes." Coach Ryan agreed with Noah's comments. "Noah has some very good insights when it comes to practicing. I think he has done very well to not become complacent despite what level he has made. He practices hard and strives to do better. Noah has a hitting streak of his own and works to do his best for the team as a whole." He clapped his hands. "But enough about them. Let's clean up and head to the bus; I'm sure everyone is waiting for us. We have three games this upcoming week so don't overdo it tomorrow. Stretch and throw the ball if you want." He spoke more directly to certain members of his team and let us go back first. 

"Man." Kyle chuckled lightly. "I almost believed you back there, talking about how the lower levels matter."

"It's not like I was lying." Noah shot him a glare. "Each way has its benefits. Just look at you and Dave. You guys were freshmen on a JV team and got wrecked a time or two. Makes you grow as a player. But at least those stats aren't held against you since you weren't on varsity." He grinned. "Think how much better your ERA and WHIP would be for your high school career if it didn't include your sophomore year."

"Why you-" Kyle reached out for him and the two started to mess around, going in circles. 

"Man, my numbers would be unbelievable." Dave muttered. He glanced at me before reaching out and patting my shoulder. "Sorry for you, Jake."

"Me?" My stats were pretty good. Some of the best. 

"All those errors your freshman year will be haunting you for years to come." Dave laughed. 

I grimaced. "People don't really look at that though...right...? It's mostly batting for fielders?"

Dave shrugged. "For you, they definitely won't care too much. It's just funny to think that after your senior year, someone could ask why you made so many errors in your high school career."

I covered my ears, not wanting to even think about it. 

As we approached the bus, we started to see some of the guys from our team. 

"Hey, that game is over too?" Noah ditched Kyle and went to ask Sean. 

Sean looked to us with wide eyes. "Man. You guys missed the shitshow. Do yourselves a favor and steer clear of Coach and the JV team."

"Why? What happened?" Noah frowned. 

"Yea. What do you mean by shitshow?" Kyle asked. 

Dave and I hurried up to join the group. 

"It was crazy!" Bryce joined in. "A full on brawl broke out. I wouldn't be surprised if some guys get dropped from the program."

"What?"

"A fight? With who?"

"And Coach saw it all?"

"A fight within themselves." Sean explained. "After losing another close one, they had some kind of confrontation in the team meeting and things just erupted from there. We were just about to leave when they were suddenly tackling one another."

"Do you know who started it? Like who threw the first punch?" Noah started to ask for more details. 

Sean and Bryce both shook their heads. "It was hard to tell. Very sudden. And soon all of them were involved."

My stomach dropped. "That sounds horrible."

"I've never seen anything like it." Sean shook his head. 

"I've seen fights between teams but never within a team." Bryce shrugged. "I just don't get what could have happened. Coach ain't going to be happy."

Mr. Miller started to let us board, not commenting on a fight he didn't see. It was all the varsity players could talk about though. There were a lot of rumors going around, talking about why they would fight, but there seemed to be a general consensus that it was because they lost today. 

The freshmen team started to load their bags below and board the bus too. They overheard bits and pieces from our guys, leading to some more speculation. The coaches stayed off the bus and talked amongst themselves too. It was quite a long wait before we saw parts of the JV team. The bus got quiet as some of them loaded their bags and boarded. They were sweaty and dirty, but I didn't see anything that screamed 'fight.'

That changed when the second half of the team showed up. Most of them had bags of ice. One in particular stood out: Andy. He was holding a bag of ice to his face with Alisha right next to him, like she was guiding him back. 

Noah stood up and frowned. The twins were only a few rows back and stood up after seeing Noah do so. I slowly stood too, unsure if something was going to happen. 

Alisha helped Andy sit next to Garret across from us. She spared us a glance. "He's okay, but I think his eye might swell shut." She looked outside the bus. "I have to go back to Coach and help."

"Thanks, Alisha." Andy told her. 

She left soon after. 

"Who hit you?" Noah asked. 

Andy didn't bother turning his head when an ice bag was covering half of it. "Not sure. I just caught a random elbow to the corner of my eye. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" Noah repeated. "You can't play baseball with a black eye. What the heck happened out there?"

Andy shook his head. "It was a long time coming. I said tension was building up between pitchers and hitters. Maybe a little bit of upperclassmen versus underclassmen too. I probably should have stepped back and let it play out, but somehow I got caught up into it too." He looked like he wanted to say more, but the coaches were starting to board. Alisha and Coach were last. 

He let her sit and started to move down the aisle to stand in the middle of the bus. "Apparently, I've been too relaxed this season." His voice sounded deeper than normal. He looked a little scary as he glanced up and down the rows. "I knew there were a couple of hot tempers in this program from tryouts and preseason. What I didn't expect, was that it would get in the way of playing baseball."

The bus stayed silent; no one wanted to become Coach's target. 

"Monday, the original JV roster will meet me by my office after school." Coach instructed. He saw a few nods from those guys. "You boys will not be playing in Monday's game. None of you."

There were a few gasps and looks started to dart around. 

"Noah." Coach hollered. 

Noah stood up. "Yes, Coach?"

"You're going down to JV."

My jaw dropped. So did a few others. 

Noah surprisingly didn't ask any follow-up questions. He nodded. "Okay."

"Jake. Sean. Korrey." Coach called out. "You three will join him." He looked our way. "Bryce or Brian? Which of you want to pitch?"

"I'll do it!" Brian's arm shot up in the air. 

"I'll play outfield and be his relief, if you need me to, Coach." Bryce offered. 

"Good." His eyes drifted to the far end of the bus. At the freshmen. "Who wants a chance to start for a JV game?"

Hands were raised. Either with eagerness or hesistancy. Coach picked out a few of them, moving them up for Monday's game. "Everyone I've mentioned for JV, will meet with Mr. Miller at the upper field after school for warmups." He started to head for the front of the bus. "For those meeting me at my office, make sure to bring your running shoes."

I shivered and glanced sympathetically at Andy even though he couldn't see me.