After some time, Chris seemed to have calibrated everything correctly and gave the thumbs up to Hiroki. He could tell the the kid was a little nervous, but he wasn’t surprised.
As Ken watched his friend walk up to the batters box, he couldn’t help but say a silent prayer. He knew just how much Hiroki had improved this year, particularly after breaking through his limited potential.
He wasn’t sure who had been in the National Team this year in his previous life, but he knew that both Hiroki and Daichi were certainly not in the squad.
Now that he thought about it, he had almost forgotten that they all used to play for Yokohama in his previous life. It was no wonder why none of them had received an invitation to the tryouts after getting knocked out so spectacularly in the first round of Koshien.
Yet this time around, the effects of his regression and the system had made an indelible mark on each of their lives.
Not only was Hiroki elevated to another level, he had introduced baseball to Daichi a year earlier than he was supposed to. This allowed him to attend a prestigious baseball school and improve at the speed of light.
As Ken reminisced, he was interrupted by the sound of the metal bat striking the ball.
DOOONG
He quickly averted his gaze to the ball that was traveling towards him in the center outfield. Without a word, he easily tracked down the ball and caught it before it touched the ground.
Yet only a few moments later, he heard another noise.
DOOONG
This time it went to the left outfield to where Daichi was stationed.
At first the players watched on with a little interest, mainly to get a gauge on how fast the pitching machine was. Yet at almost 20 balls in, Hiroki had already completed the 5 balls to each outfield.
If this was all, then it wouldn’t be too impressive. However, aside from the one that Ken had easily caught in the beginning, only 3 more had been caught.
Hiroki had hit almost home runs already and showed no signs of slowing down.
DOOONG
Ken could only watch the ball sail over his head once more, yet his face was set with a wide grin. There was no doubt that Hiroki was the clean up batter for the Summer Koshien winning team.
When it came time to bunt however, Hiroki’s charm seemed to wear off a little.
Out of the last 10 balls, he had managed to hit 6 bunts in total, missing or fouling the remaining 4.
Yet despite the poor showing at the end, no one had the heart to make fun of him. It was clear from how he’d performed that Hiroki had definitely made an impression on everyone present.
“Okay, head to left outfield. Everyone else shuffle along.” Coach Takashi said aloud, gesturing for the outfielders to move.
Ken moved to the right outfield and Daichi moved to the center while Hiroki slotted into the left. The two couldn’t help but smile and send thumbs up to their friend who had performed well.
“Riku, you’re next.”
“Yes sir~”
Riku’s tall frame sauntered up to the batters box after putting his helmet and gloves on. He moved his hips from side to side in an odd rhythmic way before giving a nod to Chris behind the pitching machine.
WHOOSH
DONG!
The hit was perfectly placed, sending the ball to the left outfield which dropped to the ground in front of Hiroki. It was an easy base hit if this was a real game.
Riku continued with his clinic, only missing the mark a few times and fouling off a ball here or there. He easily completed the coach’s wishes, even hitting the 5 bunts casually.
The only real difference between this guy and Hiroki was the power aspect. While Hiroki had hit 10 home runs during his 30 balls, Riku had placed them perfectly out the reach of the outfielders.
“Next!”
Ken shuffled off the field and returned to the group of the other players before placing his glove down on the ground.
The next player up was the average looking pitcher with the ponytail who had spoken to him before. Even at this moment he still had no idea who the guy was.
Since he was a pitcher, no one expected much from him, which was just as well. Out of the 30 pitches, he only successfully hit 7 into the outfield, the rest were either missed or fouled off.
The drills continued for a while longer as everyone began to have their turn.
Apart from Hiroki and Riku, there were a few stand outs.
Masayuki had a similar hitting style as Riku, which made sense since they were both likely lead off batters. The gloomy looking Kuro and the clumsy Akimitsu were both solid, yet it was a quiet player who had caught Ken’s attention.
Ichiro Kimura, an unassuming guy who was rather quiet compared to the others. Despite this, he was able to show out against the pitching machine, netting 7 home runs and hitting the ball wherever he wanted.
Even his bunts were perfection, showing just how solid his fundamentals and vision was.
“You’re next.” Coach Takashi pointed at Daichi, motioning for him to step up to the plate.
Daichi tensed up a little after being called out, yet his face flashed with determination in the next moment. As he walked forward he felt a slap in the middle of his back.
“Go get em’” Ken said with a grin.
“Heh, I’ll be back soon.”
After placing on his helmet and grabbing a bat, Daichi saw his father behind the pitching machine and flashed him a smile. He was going to show everyone here that he belonged in the National Team squad.
Ever since not making the preliminary at the conclusion of yesterday’s trials, he’d been rather nervous. Yet this was the time to prove the coaching staff wrong.
‘This is it. I’m right back to where my baseball journey started, in front of a pitching machine.’