The Hitting Zone



I was gone less than an hour which was good, because the twins didn't take notes properly. Thankfully a friend of theirs loaned me his so I could get it copied before class ended. After class was done, the twins started to ask about what was said and what had happened. I quickly explained that the school board had members that were upset, but the principal and athletic director didn't seem to be. Not much was said to me besides them asking if I was mad that Coach sent me down for a game. Just as I finished with the recap, Noah came sprinting over. 

He looked me in the eyes. "I heard from the twins that you were pulled in the office." I had to explain again. Noah frowned. "You would play without Coach?"

I tilted my head in confusion. "I mean, we just did that yesterday. With Mr. Miller."

Noah facepalmed himself. "That's not the same. We would still have Coach as a coach."

"I don't want Coach to leave either." I defended. "But the question was whether I would play without him or not. And I have. And as long as you or the twins are there, I'll keep playing."

Dave laughed as he threw his arm around my shoulders. "Jake isn't always on the same wavelength. He does what he wants. How he feels. I'm sure if they give us a bad coach, Jake would be the first to leave."

Kyle reached out to hold Noah's head. "Stop worrying. Nothing bad is going to happen to Coach. He's at the helm of a championship team that is looking to repeat. It would take a massive push to get him out."

The bell rung to signal that we were late for our next classes. The twins left while Noah walked me to my next class. 

"Are you mad?" I asked Noah, confused whether I did the right thing or not. 

Noah shook his head. "Not at you, but at the situation. People messing around when Coach is just doing his best." I nodded in agreement. He sighed. "Hopefully it'll be settled by practice." He dropped me off at my class, waving at Alisha before running off to his own. 

We ended up not having to wait until practice to find out a result. Just as we got to our lunch table, a lot of the team started to show up. The twins, Garret, Bryce, and Brian. Sean, Jason, and Tanner. 

Garret started to talk over everyone, forcing the rest of us to get quiet. "Okay, it's no secret that Coach ran into some trouble yesterday. It's no biggie though. I've spoken with the principal, athletic director, and some of the guys on the school board. I think we're all on the same page that Coach is the best to have at the helm. If things change, who knows how we'll be affected."

"What happens to the JV team?" Brian asked. "Are they still in trouble?"

Garret grimaced. "Big trouble. Now higher-ups realize they have a problem. It's drawing a lot of attention. I don't know what they'll decide to do about those idiots."

"Would they cancel the rest of their season?" Sean frowned. 

"Unlikely." Garret shook his head. "Coach would definitely fight to have them back in action. With missing players or coaches, I don't know. The JV team now will definitely have some effect on the Varsity team of next year so benching all of them doesn't seem like a wise idea."

There was a lot of speculation during lunch. I didn't have anything to contribute. I was just happy that Coach wasn't going to be gone. If he's there, everyone will be assured. If there are no problems with our team, then it's no problem to me. Next year's problem can wait until next year. 

After school, as we gathered in the clubroom to get changed and ready for practice, Coach made his presence known. "Listen up, boys." All eyes went to him and everyone slowly stopped moving to make it even more quiet. Coach looked to Garret. "First up, I want to compliment our captain holding things down yesterday both on the mound and at the plate." He looked to the freshman catcher, Oscar. "You as well. Your work with Garret didn't go unnoticed. Tomorrow you'll work with Kyle and Friday will be Dave. Practice in the bullpen accordingly. Go over the signs and make sure you understand what they want to do on the mound this week."

"Yes!" Oscar stood straight and nodded like a soldier who just received his orders. 

Coach looked around the room before continuing. "I'm glad that everyone took yesterday seriously without me present. Both games. Not going to lie; both winning really made me look good when it came time to face my superiors." He let out a heavy sigh. "In all my time as the head of this program, I've never had to let go any staff during the season. This decision didn't come lightly, but it's a change I have to be willing to make. Coach Holman and his assistants will no longer be with the program. I've also decided to bench a few select players for the rest of the year."

Wow. I had a good feeling that a certain sophomore was on that list. I resisted the urge to smile. It was a serious situation. A few guys lost their jobs. Kids were done for the season despite having a month left. 

"Who's going to lead the JV team?" Dave asked casually. 

"Coach Luis." Coach surprised us. 

"Is he getting demoted?" Bryce asked, tilting his head in confusion. 

"It might feel that way. But his pay will be the same. He'll actually have more responsibilities and I'm asking a lot of him to try to regain control of that team."

"Will he be back with us next year?" Sean asked. 

"Who will be the first base coach for us now?" Noah asked. 

"Heck, he would still join us for playoffs, won't he?" Jason asked. 

"Let's take it one game at a time." Coach answered. "For now, I'll have Coach Riley take over at first." He named a coach we've seen help out from time to time. 

"Okay."

"Yea, that works."

"I bet Coach Luis straightens out those brats today."

"Hopefully they run again today."

A few of the guys started to joke and laugh, easing the atmosphere. 

"Alright, enough messing around." Coach clapped twice. "Let's use this week well, practicing and taking on these games with purpose. Next week will be a whole lot tougher."

"Yea!" A few guys chorused. 

We finished getting ready, took our bags to the dugout, then followed Garret's lead for warmups. Practice didn't have any of that earlier drama. Things were back to normal. For us anyways. 

The JV team had an overhaul. And as we walked through the parking lot after practice, we could see them running uphill sprints. Coach Luis wasn't going to go easy. He followed Coach Wilcox's style and knew what to do with a problematic team. Run them down until they're too tired to fight. Zeke definitely learned from him too; making us run any time a mistake was made. It's definitely a way to learn your lesson, but not my favorite.