No Turning Back (5)

Now Linus really felt embarrassed. If the last mistake could be excused as just bad luck—a tricky bounce that caught him off guard—this one was entirely his fault. He had made a nice catch, and instead of staying focused, he let his guard down, feeling a momentary surge of pride. It was just enough time for him to lose sight of the play and miss the next part entirely. Chris's voice echoed across the field, but instead of being harsh, it was still filled with that encouraging tone Linus was starting to appreciate.

"Nice catch, Linus! Just remember, you can't stop until the play is finished!" Chris called out, his voice carrying over the field.

Linus swallowed hard, his cheeks flushed. He knew Chris was right. He had been distracted, caught up in his own head after making the catch. He told himself to stay focused from now on, to keep his head in the game until everything was done. 

The drill continued, but the next two balls weren't hit in his direction, giving Linus a small moment to gather himself and reset. He could feel the adrenaline still coursing through his veins, but now, instead of excitement, it was mixed with frustration at himself for slipping up. He silently vowed not to let it happen again.

After that rotation, Chris blew the whistle. "That's it for this drill!" he announced, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "Nice work, everyone! We've done a full rotation, and now we're going to move on to something a little more intense."

Linus wasn't sure what "more intense" meant, but from the way the others straightened up, he could tell they knew what was coming. Chris gathered the team in the middle of the field, explaining the next exercise.

"We're splitting into four groups," Chris began, pointing to different spots on the infield. "First base, second base, shortstop, and third base. You'll work in pairs—first base with second base, and shortstop with third base. I'll hit grounders to any of these four positions. Your job is to field the ball and throw it as quickly as you can to your partner standing at their base. As soon as you throw, rotate to the back of the line. If you miss a ball, same thing—straight to the back."

Chris's grin widened as he added, "The key here is speed. Less time between balls, and if you fumble or miss a catch, you don't get a redo—you rotate. Got it?"

Linus's heart thudded in his chest. This drill sounded fast. Much faster than the one they'd just done.

He was placed in the second base group, which suited him just fine. Linus chose to stand at the back of the line again, giving him more time to observe how things worked. As the drill started, grounders were fired towards the players in quick succession. There was barely a moment's rest as each fielder had to react quickly—scoop up the ball, throw to their partner, and immediately rotate. The whole drill had a rhythm to it, a constant back-and-forth, like a dance of movement and coordination.

Linus watched closely. Players moved with precision, some making mistakes, but most were able to field the ball cleanly and fire off a quick throw to their partner. The drill moved so fast that Linus barely had time to process everything before it was his turn.

He stepped up to second base, crouching low, ready to field. His breath was shallow as he prepared for the ball. His eyes were locked on Chris, who was ready to send the next grounder flying.

The ball, however, didn't come to Linus. It shot towards the first baseman instead. Linus darted over to second base to cover, just like he'd seen the others do. The throw came to him quickly, but it was a good one, straight into his glove. He caught it cleanly, the satisfying thud reassuring him, and then he rotated to the back of the line.

For a brief moment, Linus felt relieved. He had made the catch, but he knew that the real test would come when the ball was hit directly to him.

The drill moved on, faster and faster. Linus rotated back to the front of the line, heart racing, hands gripping his glove tightly. His eyes tracked the next grounder—it was coming toward him this time. His muscles tensed as he crouched, watching the ball skid across the dirt. He moved in time, but just as he reached down to field it, the ball skipped slightly off the ground. He fumbled, the ball bouncing awkwardly out of his glove. He swore under his breath and immediately got up, tossing the ball back towards first base, knowing he had to rotate to the back of the line again.

His heart was pounding harder now. He hadn't expected the intensity of the drill to catch up with him like this. Each grounder came faster than the last, and his inexperience was starting to show. Linus missed a couple more grounders, and once or twice, the throws from first base came in too fast or too low, making them harder to catch. Every time he fumbled, he could feel his frustration mounting, his confidence dipping just a little more.

After what felt like an eternity, Chris finally called an end to the drill. Linus was out of breath, his chest heaving as he bent over to catch his breath. His shirt stuck to his back, drenched in sweat. He wasn't the only one breathing heavily—most of the other players were winded too—but Linus felt like he had it worse. The others had been practicing much longer than him, and it showed in how they handled the drill.

"Alright, go grab some water," Chris said, his voice calm and steady despite the intensity of the drill and how many grounders he had hit. 

"We'll take a break before the next drill."

Linus didn't hesitate. He walked over to his water bottle, grabbing it and drinking greedily, feeling the cool liquid slide down his throat. His entire body felt like it had been through the wringer—his arms were tired from all the throws, his legs heavy from running back and forth. He hadn't realized how demanding baseball training could be. It was nothing like the casual sports he'd played in gym class or with friends. Or even the casual game he had played in the US.

As he leaned against the fence, trying to catch his breath, Elias walked over, lightly bumping Linus on the shoulder.

"Pretty tough, huh?" Elias said, grinning through his own tiredness.

Linus nodded, still gulping down water. "Yeah," he breathed, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I didn't expect it to be this hard."

Elias gave him a reassuring smile. "You'll get used to it. Everyone struggles at first. It's all about building up stamina, but you did fine for your first time."

Linus appreciated the encouragement, though his body was screaming at him in exhaustion. He wanted to get better, but right now, all he could think about was how heavy his body felt.