"You look even more stiff than before your first game." Noah laughed as we jogged back to the dugout after finishing pregame warmups. It was Wednesday, about five in the evening. We all went through school and then straight to the field afterwards to start warmups.
"You know how many times I had to practice sliding?? My back, abs, quads, and hamstrings are all super sore." I huffed. Yesterday was one of the worse days with Drew, ever. Even though we only worked on sliding, it was because we ONLY WORKED ON SLIDING. I still couldn't get up to his standards.
Noah laughed at my complaints. "It'll make you a better player so just keep working at it." We grabbed our gloves and moved to the exit of the dugout, ready to run out on the field with the rest of the starters.
For our home opener, Coach went with the following lineup:
1 SS Noah Atkins
2 2B Jake Hollander
3 RF Sean Isner
4 CF Zeke Atkins
5 1B Julian Wilson
6 LF Mahki Holstrom
7 P Kyle Atkins
8 C Kelvin Bender
9 3B Chris Ludwick
Yesterday, Dave rejected the idea of letting Kyle start over him, but coach didn't budge. He had to remind him who it was that pitched a perfect game and who had more days rest. Coach did say Dave would be the first choice coming out of the bullpen though, in order to cheer him up.
"So for home games, we do the cheer, and run to our positions. As we do the mini warmup on the field, the broadcaster will announce our names over the intercom. Nothing extravagant like the finals of a tournament, but still. It gets your heart pumping."
I made a face of skepticism. "How would you know? This is your first home game here too. It's not like you could be on the team last year as a middle schooler."
Noah's face actually turned a little pink. "Well, it's the thought that counts. Every time I think about playing under these lights, on this field, with this team, it gets my adrenaline going."
I scratched my cheek to soothe an itch. "What's so special about it? We've been practicing under 'these lights, on this field, with this team' for the last few weeks now."
Noah patted my shoulder. "You'll see. It's different, especially as the first home game."
Coach turned our lineup in to the umpire, other coach, and official scorekeeper. He returned to the dugout and Zeke huddled us up. "Win on three. One. Two."
"WIN!" The team said together. Then the starters jogged out to our positions. Kyle took the mound and Kelvin went behind home plate.
A deep voice spoke over the sound system and introduced us by batting order, then named us and our positions. Cheers and screams of encouragement from the stands grabbed my attention. The usually empty bleachers behind home plate were filled with students, parents, and others who came to watch. At the tournament, we had fans, but nothing was as one-sided as this. I felt slightly overwhelmed and it became harder and harder to swallow.
"Jake. Jake! Jakey!" Noah's voice got closer and louder, until I felt a heavy weight on my shoulder. I turned and he was leaning on my shoulder with an elbow, weighing me down. "Pay attention or its laps, remember?"
I moved my head up. And down.
He squinted at me with suspicion. "What's wrong? You were just talking a few minutes ago. C'mon, use your words!"
My face twitched. I glanced at the stands. "There's a lot of people. Here. Watching."
"Jake. Are you getting stage fright?" He chuckled. "There's less people here than Sunday's championship game. It just feels like more because this time, they're all our fans. Just soak it in." The umpire was calling for the balls so Noah had to go back to his own position.
I stood there and looked around, trying to take his advice of soaking 'it' in. The sun was already gone, and the stadium lights lit up the field. Every seat on the bleacher was taken and the people looked to be squished like a can of sardines. My teammates faces were tense and serious like we were already losing. I couldn't understand what Noah wanted me to soak in? The whole environment and situation was filled with anxiety. And I didn't need to suck in anymore anxiety. I had plenty of my own, even on a good day.