Rhys and I split from the bigger group and walked towards the stadium, while the rest went to the practice field.
"Just to prepare you, Jake." Rhys started to say. "I won't be watching over you today in today's practice."
I looked up at him in disbelief. This dude just said he would do the job Zeke gave him and watch over me. And now he's not?
"It's the batting cages." Rhys shrugged. "I think you'll be in your comfort zone all on your own. I'm a pitcher, and pitchers don't really hit. Coach Nate wants me to work with the pitchers on our team to do something more productive like running and lifting. Would you rather do that?"
I made a face and shook my head. I ran enough yesterday.
"Don't worry so much, kiddo." Rhys told me. "Zeke had a talk with Coach Nate, explaining that you...are a little shy. Coach Nate won't put you in an uncomfortable position. Plus, in the cages, it's just you hitting. The only difference now is that a few people will be watching you. That's not too bad, right?"
"..." I looked up at Rhys. Did he not hear the team yesterday? None of them really liked me. Only Kenny was nice to me, but he's just as shy as me. This isn't what Zeke told me when he convinced me to be away from Noah. "I guess I'll run with you and the pitchers..." Even if it was something I really didn't want to do.
Rhys picked up on my discomfort. "Hey, c'mon now. It's the batting cages. You like this the most, don't you?"
"Yea...but I don't want to be alone..."
Rhys looked at me for a second longer than normal. "Okay. I'll talk with Coach Nate. Maybe he'll let the pitchers participate for a little bit. You'll get in some hitting time too. And then we'll split off. How does that sound?"
"Would Coach Nate really allow that?" I asked.
"Yea, I don't see why not." Rhys gave me a reassuring smile. We reached the batting cages and saw the team gathered, putting on their cleats. "Go get ready and I'll go speak with Coach."
I nodded and watched him go before finding an open area to get my cleats on. Some of the guys were already chatting with one another while others were stretching.
I also chose to stretch, staying near my bag on the outer edges of the group. A few looks were spared my way, but I avoided direct eye contact.
"Hey, can I put my bag here?" Kenny asked quietly as he stood nearby, pointing at an open spot near me.
I nodded.
"Thanks." He set his bag down next to mine and got his cleats out. "Batting cages, huh?"
I nodded, then realized he couldn't see me as he tied his cleats. I cleared my throat. "Yea..."
We awkwardly waited for everyone to show up and then Coach Nate called for everyone to gather.
"Good afternoon men." He greeted. "As you can see, we're planning to work on our batting this session. Not everyone will spend the whole afternoon here though. Pitchers and selected fielders will go off later with Coach Rhys to work on endurance and conditioning."
"So pitchers still get to practice hitting?" One of the pitchers asked, looking excited.
Coach Nate nodded. "Originally we were going to have the pitchers split off and do their own workout with Coach Rhys, but after some discussion we're going to let everyone get a chance in the cages. Not all pitchers are bad at the plate."
"Im not great, but I still like to workout in the cages. It's relaxing." Someone commented.
"Same."
"Pshh. I bat cleanup for my high school and club team."
The team started to talk over one another, expressing their opinions on pitchers that could bat.
Coach Nate clapped his hands a couple of times to get everyone's attention. The players quieted down. "Coach Rhys will lead you boys into a light warmup. It's important to be stretched and loose for batting practice so focus." He looked to Rhys. "You can use the outfield in the stadium, then come back for a stretch."
Rhys nodded. We followed him to the entrance to the stadium and started to jog along the warning track in the outfield. We saw two other teams warming up, probably preparing for a game. A few of the guys mentioned names of players that they knew and who might be good or not.
I solely focused on following Rhys, not caring about the game. None of the guys I knew were playing at the stadium.
The warmup was short but still covered the necessary movements to prevent getting injured. Coach Nate had us gathered outside the three cages before letting us get to work.
"I want to spend a minute talking about the three types of hitters I see at the college level." Coach Nate walked back and forth, making me think of my English teacher. It was lesson time. "Can anyone guess how batter's are divided besides by their batting average?"
"If they're clutch or not?"
"RBI's and runs scored?"
"It's gotta be whether they get better or worse."
"No, that's dumb. Everyone goes through a slump at some point."
"It's about your mentality and adjustments." Coach Nate spoke up, putting an end to the guessing. "Average hitters, only think about getting at least one hit in a game. They don't change anything in their swing or posture until they see the results at the end of the game. These kind of hitters probably only bat .250 all season with limited change."
He continued. "Then we have the great hitters. Ones who think about having a quality at-bat every time they're at the plate. If they don't succeed at their first at-bat, they'll try to make adjustments before the next one. These kind of hitters will finish the season batting .300 and above."
Everyone was quiet, paying attention to Coach Nate like what he was saying was valuable. Honestly, it didn't mean anything to me.
"Then..." His eyes locked on me. "There's the third kind of batter. Jake, come here for a second."
I froze. Me..?
Coach Nate waved me over. "Come. You're the perfect example for my third kind of batter."
I stiffly moved to stand up front, next to him, facing the team. I swallowed a lump in my throat, trying not to hyperventilate.
"Jake, share with everyone, what goes through your mind when you're batting." Coach Nate instructed.
I shrugged. "I don't know..."
Half the team laughed.
Coach Nate cracked a smile. "Okay, I know I'm putting you on the spot here, but play along. You're in the box, a pitcher is on the mound. What's on your checklist?"
"Well..." I swallowed another lump. "I usually have an idea of the pitcher's speed and skill from watching the batter before me, so-"
"Freeze." Coach Nate cut me off. He looked at the team. "Did you guys hear what he just said? He watched the previous at-bat. Your time in the on-deck circle isn't just limited to stretching. It's about studying the timing of the pitcher. See what his pitch selection is. Does he shake off his catcher? What did he throw after shaking a sign? Your time being on the offense isn't limited to your time in the batter's box." He looked at me and nodded. "Go on."
"Uhh..." I hesitated. "As I step in the batter's box, I like to look at the field?" I paused to see if he was going to cut me off again, but he just nodded. "I like to look at the field to see where everyone is standing. Zeke, uh, my brother, told me that I should find some open space to aim for."
Coach Nate nodded. "Great hitters do that too. If the defense is going to leave an opening, it's always good to try and take advantage of it." He looked me in the eyes. "Then what do you do?"
I shrugged again. "I hit the ball."
"If you swing and miss, what do you do?" He asked.
"Try to hit the next pitch..?" I was unsure of myself.
"How?"
"How?" I repeated after him. Then shrugged again. "If I missed because it's a breaking ball, then I'll change my swing."
"You make adjustments." He stated, smiling. He looked to his team. "Jake makes adjustments between each pitch. He doesn't wait until his next game or next at-bat. If he swings and misses, he's already adjusted his mentality and swing to be ready for the next pitch. Batters like him see each new pitch as a new opportunity or battle. Their averages will stand out on any team."
Oh. I see.
"You all heard him mention Zeke, right?" Coach Nate asked. A few of the guys nodded. "His brother, Zeke Atkins was a first round pick in the most recent draft. He turned down the chance to go to the minors and picked Stanford to continue his career. I'm sure most of you know what kind of numbers and what level of skill you have to have to be selected in the first round. Well, Jake here, has a better batting average than Zeke."
The team was dead silent. All eyes on me.