"That runner on first is one of the players Coach Ochiai has been paying close attention to, right?" Head Manager Oota said, pointing at Seto.
"Mm!"
"His running speed is Special A!!"
"But being fast and having baserunning technique are two different things!!"
"Timing the start, footwork, and shifting his center of gravity!!"
"Every single one requires special attention!!" Coach Ochiai said as he stroked his beard and watched the field with a scrutinizing gaze.
"If Sendou could do all that, it would save me a lot of trouble!" he muttered quietly afterward.
"What?" Head Manager Oota had not heard him clearly and looked puzzled.
"No! It's nothing!"
On the field, Senior Kawashima kept an eye on what was happening behind him at all times.
But since he was a right-handed pitcher, he could not keep glaring at the runner like Sawamura did, which left him somewhat conflicted.
"Let's test the waters with an outside corner ball!"
"Leave the runner to me. Pitch with the mindset of a head-on showdown!"
"Senior Kawashima!!" After a year of high school baseball, and with someone like Miyuki beside him as a role model, Kariba had improved quickly as well.
As Tahara from Ichidai San High had said, two years was a crash course for training a catcher at Seidou!
The current Kariba, while usually serving as Sawamura's tool from time to time...
He looked like a total rookie...
But he really was a total rookie...
Still, it depended on who he was compared with. After all, he was Seidou's third catcher!
If Kariba were on a team at Seikou's level... and there was no catcher like Captain Tetsu, he was already strong enough to become the starting catcher.
Though if he had not come to Seidou, he would not have developed so