Sawamura Begins Leading the Team

"No way! At least not in the First Match!"

When Sendou put forward his idea, Coach Kataoka rejected it on the spot without even thinking.

The so-called proposal was basically Sendou wanting to be paired with a third-year student...

The reason is that you can compete against all kinds of pitchers.

"But I can make an exception and let you go to the Second Match."

Indeed, each pitcher on the team has their own unique characteristics, and playing against different pitchers can be beneficial for you.

"But now you need to get a feel for playing with the new team." Coach Kataoka didn't completely rule it out, but betraying them in the First Match was definitely out of the question...

the next day,

"Excuse me!" Miyuki poked his head out of the Supervisor's Room in the same way as Sendou before him.

"Good morning, Miyuki!" Head Manager Oota greeted him.

Coach Kataoka was still wearing his team uniform at that moment.

"Supervisor! Regarding today's practice..." Miyuki already knew there would be Practice Match tomorrow, so he wanted to try his luck and see if he could let them touch the ball.

Coach Ochiai put down his newspaper and looked at Coach Kataoka.

"Um... Coach!" Head Manager Oota spoke up when Coach Kataoka didn't say anything.

"As usual today!"

"And I'll accompany you personally!" Coach Kataoka, having finished dressing, turned and looked at Miyuki for a few seconds before speaking.

Sendou would be very happy to hear this, because he wouldn't have to practice one-on-one with his coach anymore.

No... it's one against two.

Even if the coach personally trains the players, Sendou still has to practice as a third baseman. He has already practiced the basic catching and passing, as well as various Backup Position, so the coach would definitely not let him participate in those anaerobic training sessions.

The infielders' practice routine is very complex...

Of course, in a one-on-two situation, there's no way to practice Backup Position if there are too few players.

In fact, after the practice began...

Even without Coach Kataoka, Sendou is still facing two opponents, but without that terrifying expression, he feels much more relaxed.

The coaches who serve as OBs are definitely not as scary to Sendou as the head coach, and he is also a kind of unconventional Group Favorite. The assistant coaches indulge his willfulness even more than the head coach...

During breaks from practice, I check on what's happening over there with the supervisor.

Sendou was amused...

"Clap!" With Coach Kataoka clapping his hands, a row of athletes sprinted wildly.

"Time has gone backwards, everyone do it again!!!"

Swing your arms properly!

Lift your legs up!

Do you want to run like this during the race?

This kind of short-distance Anaerobic Sprint, even if the distance is very short, is very tiring. You can tell how tired a 100-meter sprinter is after running a 100-meter race.

However, baseball, a sport that operates on a sub-second scale, naturally requires a lot of Anaerobic Sprint and explosive power for starting.

Whether it's running the bases or playing defense, it's all about short, full-speed sprints, aiming for the shortest time and the fastest speed to complete the entire set of technical moves.

The runners were already panting heavily, bending over and holding their knees; this was just the beginning.

"Really... really coming for a timed run!"

And it was at the very beginning..."

"This is the training content for the winter offseason training camp!"

What happened all of a sudden?

"Supervise!" Kuramochi couldn't help but say upon hearing his companion's words.

Of the first and second graders, only Sendou and Miyuki knew about the Practice Match tomorrow.

Sendou is tight-lipped, and this was originally his proposal. In addition, he is already one of Seidou's strategists, so he naturally has the right to know.

Miyuki is the captain, and he needs to provide some assistance and make arrangements, so they won't keep it from him. The others, however, are completely unaware of the situation.

It is expected that the announcement will be made after today's practice session.

However, the players didn't have time to think about such things!

When Coach Kataoka arrived at the Practice Field today and started training, he didn't say anything about training except for his stern words.

For example, what will be the content of today's practice, and how long will the practice last?

This makes the training seem exceptionally long, especially when it's discovered that one group is slow, and the entire group has to start over.

Even the most physically fit athletes would eventually exhaust themselves with such repeated sprints.

How many more times do I have to run this route?!

"This..." Senior Asou and Seki reunited.

"Hey! Endless practice makes you feel even more tired! Hey!" The two of them said, panting heavily.

"Hey you..."

"Don't bow your head!!"

Lift your head up!!!

"Ten more runs, give it your all!!" Before Aso could continue his usual tirade against Guan-senpai, Coach Kataoka noticed and yelled at him, cutting him off.

"Have we given up on the Autumn Tournament?" Knowing that they would have to run ten more times, Aso and the others were questioning their existence and even suspected that Coach Kataoka was planning to participate in the Autumn Tournament.

"Ouch! Whoa!!"

Leg coordination is a crucial lesson for pitchers!

To become the most dazzling person on the court tomorrow.

"No!! And the day after tomorrow and the day after that too!!!" Only Sawamura shouted as he sprinted at full speed.

Furuya and Tojo, standing nearby, were not to be outdone!

This guy's hair turned into Super Saiyan from his all-out sprint.

In a way, Sawamura wasn't wrong. Pitchers need waist and legs, as well as explosive power, and this kind of Anaerobic Sprint can train everything a pitcher needs.

"That guy! Has he already started leading the team morally?"

"Seeing that guy like this, it will affect the whole team in the long run!" Sendou thought to himself, looking at Sawamura.

"What are you doing, Sendou?!" The assistant coach's voice came from beside him.

"Ping!"

By the time Sendou turned around, the ball had already come over.

"Smack!"

"That scared me to death!" My body reacted almost instinctively, and I caught the ball.

The assistant coach looked completely bewildered.

"You actually caught that?"

"What kind of reflexes are these?" No matter how many times you watch it, Sendou's reflexes are always amazing.

Don't talk about his natural talent. Not everyone knows that Sendou has been practicing explosive power and reflexes every night since he was a child.

"Damn it! Throw the ball to first base right now!" The assistant coach was only surprised for a moment before he reacted and yelled.

No matter how talented someone is, if they don't meet the requirements, they still need to be criticized!

"Ouch! That was hilarious!!!"

The practice on the Sports Field had faded into silence over time, making Sawamura's voice unusually loud.

Miyuki Kuramochi and several other core members of the new team, while muttering that it was too noisy, were greatly encouraged and gritted their teeth to persevere!

They didn't want to lose to the freshmen so easily.

In Japan's hierarchical society, it is taken for granted that juniors respect their seniors and seniors care for and look after their juniors.

Seniors will naturally feel uncomfortable being led by juniors.

Just like the previous generation of Inajitsu, the existence of four second-year students such as Narumiya Mei led everyone to say that Inajitsu force was all in the second year.

As a senior who should be taking care of the younger generation, it's naturally impossible for them to accept this.