[50] The Upcoming Battle

Chapter 50: The Upcoming Battle

Osaka Kiryu is a powerhouse team from Osaka, often a consistent winner at Koshien, having claimed summer and spring championships, runner-up positions, and reaching the semifinals and quarterfinals over a dozen times.

Last summer, they pushed the champion team to the brink, losing by just one point in the final. Their formidable strength made them an intimidating opponent in Coach Kataoka's lineup for the practice matches.

Inashiro Industrial and Osaka Kiryu stood as equal titans. In contrast, Shuhuko High and Kasuga High Schools were evidently weaker.

How to sequence these four matches required careful consideration, particularly regarding the pitching lineup.

It was clear to many that the outcomes of these practice games would significantly influence Coach Kataoka's decisions for player positions and jersey numbers in the summer tournament.

The four pitchers, especially Tanba, were eager to prove themselves worthy of the ace number and demonstrate that Seidou's ace pitcher was unshakable.

However, thinking about pitching against Osaka Kiryu, and in all likelihood for a complete game, Eijun felt a sense of awe within himself.

At the customary evening meeting in the cafeteria, following five days of intense training camp, nearly everyone showed signs of fatigue.

This was true even for the third-year seniors, whose stamina was depleting despite daily rest. The accumulated fatigue from such high-intensity workouts wasn't easy to dismiss.

This was precisely Coach Kataoka's intention: to see how the team would perform against two tiers of competition under extreme fatigue. Whether the opposing teams went all out was unpredictable.

Coach Kataoka simply aimed to artificially increase difficulties for his players to enhance their overall skill and capability.

Seated below were the twenty players from the first string, with Coach Kataoka, Director Oota Ota, and Team Manager Takashima Rei standing in front, along with Chris and the four female managers.

"Tomorrow begins the practice matches."

Coach Kataoka's solemn gaze swept over everyone as he spoke seriously.

"Yes," the team, including Tetsu, Isashiki, and Eijun, responded loudly, striving to show their energy and assure the coach they were ready for starting positions.

"There are four practice matches in total. I plan to have each of the four pitchers in the first string start and finish one game. I want to clearly see who is truly suited to start and become the main players before summer," Coach Kataoka stated in a deep voice that heightened the tension among everyone present. "Your jersey numbers will also be decided based on these four matches."

Coach Kataoka's straightforward approach made everyone's hearts tighten with nervousness.

Eijun's face also showed visible tension at this moment, not due to the game or the jersey numbers, but because he was focused on Tanba.

Today, Eijun couldn't help but subtly speak to Tanba, mentioning the need to be careful of potential injuries during the games.

While Tanba smiled and thanked Eijun for his concern, his expression suggested he hadn't taken it too seriously, which made Eijun a bit anxious.

Eijun also tried to discreetly gather information from Miyuki regarding the pitching assignments, hoping to avoid the worst-case scenario.

Ultimately, what would happen was uncertain. Now it was just a matter of doing his best and leaving the rest to fate.

"For the four games, I expect you to show what I need to see, especially the four pitchers. Each of you will play one game."

"The first game against Kiryu, Sawamura, you're up. The second game against Kasuga High will be Kawakami's."

"The third game against Shuhuko High will be Furuya's. And finally, the match against Inashiro Industrial will be handled by Tanba."

"Yes!!!"

All four pitchers responded loudly, and Eijun displayed a clear sign of relief among them. He had managed to completely avoid Shuhuko, which brought him undeniable joy.

Eijun couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief internally. It seemed his presence was beginning to alter the storyline, like a small butterfly starting a storm with its wings.

Of course, at this moment, no one was focused on what Eijun was thinking; most were concentrating on the upcoming big match.

"Now, for the first game against Osaka Kiryu, here is the starting lineup," Coach Kataoka said, scanning the room.

"Batting first, shortstop, Kuramochi Yoichi."

"Yes!"

"Batting second, second baseman, Kominato Ryousuke."

"Yes."

"Batting third, center fielder, Isashiki Jun."

"Understood!!!"

"Batting fourth, first baseman, Yuki Tetsuya."

"Yes," Tetsu replied with his usual calm demeanor, a faint smile on his face.

"Batting fifth, third baseman, Masuko Tooru!!"

"Ugaa!!!"

Masuko, the pure power hitter, who had just returned to the first-string roster, let out his signature sound.

"Batting sixth, catcher, Miyuki Kazuya."

"Yes," Miyuki responded softly with his usual mischievous smile.

"Batting seventh, left fielder, Furuya Satoru!!!"

"Huh?"

"Uh?"

As Coach Kataoka finished his sentence, most in the cafeteria looked surprised, including Furuya, whose usually unchanged expression showed surprise.

Huh? Starting as a left fielder? What's this about?

Eijun also initially appeared surprised, but a moment later, he understood. He recalled some scenes from the original story. Although it came a bit earlier, he could comprehend Coach Kataoka's intentions.

"As pitchers, the mound is not your only battlefield. You need to learn a lot more. In this practice match, I hope both of you first-years will grasp this concept. In future games, you pitchers should be mentally prepared to play in other positions too," Coach Kataoka said sternly.

"Yes!!!"

Is Coach Kataoka a bit reluctant to waste Furuya's strong batting ability?

In the corner, Miyuki glanced nonchalantly at Furuya's profile and mused quietly. It was true that among the four first-team pitchers, based on current batting performance and results, the order was clear:

Furuya Satoru, Sawamura Eijun, Tanba Koichiro, and Kawakami Norifumi.

Especially with Furuya, his power hitting, including the ability to hit home runs, was something no team could afford to lose.

"Eighth, pitcher, Sawamura Eijun."

"Yes!" Eijun responded loudly without hesitation.

And then there was this guy, Sawamura. He had some power-hitting ability too, but more notably, his incredible bunting skill. It seemed there wasn't a pitch he couldn't make contact with, and he had a sharp mind for the game.

It's truly remarkable how different he seems from the impression he gave eight months ago when we first met, Miyuki thought to himself, unaware that Sawamura then wasn't quite the Eijun he is now.

"Ninth, right fielder, Shirasu."

"Yes!!!"

Evidently, Coach Kataoka was considering fully developing the two first-year pitchers over the next two and a half years, aiming to cultivate them as well-rounded talents in both pitching and hitting.

Naturally, in this area, Furuya currently held a more advantageous position.

His brute-force hitting power was something few pitchers could match.

Of course, next year's practice match opponent would feature such a monster—Osaka Kiryu's ace and clean-up hitter, Hiromi Tachi.

"Tomorrow's opponent was last summer's runner-up at Koshien and is a formidable challenger. Give it your all; this is your time to be tested!!!"

"Yes!!!!!!"

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