“No, I don’t think so,” I said with a smile, and gave Tracy all their contact information.
I was sure she wanted to talk to them all, anyway. I also told her my plan about where everyone would be staying. Tracy agreed she would speak to the girls. Caryn or Megan would contact everyone once flights and housing were in place.
◊◊◊
Tonight was our second game in the Regionals. Our game was part of a doubleheader. St. Joe would play Mt. Vernon, and we would host our hated rival, Eastside. The HSAA had decided we would host the remainder of the Regional games because our field could accommodate the most fans.
There wasn’t nearly as much interest in the Regional games. Only local media had been told the school they normally covered would be here. There would be a few professional scouts and scouts from several colleges here to watch. St. Joe had three seniors who were getting some buzz, and Mt. Vernon had an infielder who was also of interest.
I snuck into the stands behind home plate so I could check out our competition in case we won. Jeff Delahey spotted me and waved for me to sit next to him. Fritz sat down behind me. After the girls had jumped the fence, he’d been a lot more observant. I think they caught both of us by surprise. I would never have thought we would have to worry about something like that at a home game. Fritz had also made me wear my black-rimmed glasses with the bodycam. My classmates let me know I looked like a dork in them.
“How come you’re not camped out at the hospitality tent?” Jeff asked.
“Mom made cornbread and beans, and I filled up on that before coming. What did I miss?”
“They had a taco bar that wasn’t half bad.”
“It’s probably good that I didn’t go. I can eat me some tacos,” I admitted.
“Who do you like in the first game?” Jeff asked.
“I have to go with St. Joe. They may have lost their ace starter to injury, but their offense more than makes up for it. They’ve bludgeoned their opponents by more than five runs a game. St. Joe has played exceptionally well since Richards got hurt. That’s in part due to the success of unheralded pitchers like Matt Maker, who have given this rotation depth that it just didn’t have last year. Their biggest advantage, though, is their offense is just that good. I look up and down their lineup, and they’re solid with only a few holes. Their fielding could use some work. Overall, though, they’re the number one seed for a reason,” I said.
“What about Mt. Vernon?”
“They’ve gotten better as the year has gone along. They don’t quite have the firepower in their lineup, but that kid Millsap is a terror in the field and on the base paths. I would bet more than a few of the scouts are here today to see him. They also have a solid pitcher in Dennison starting tonight. The key will be how he does early. If he can get settled in, it could be a long night for St. Joe. On the other hand, if they get to him in the first, he normally falls apart. If someone would work with him on his preparation, I think he could be as good as Justin Tune was for us before he got kicked off the team.”
“What about Lincoln?” Jeff asked.
“Their biggest concern is pitching depth. They can run out two solid starters, and they need to rely on them to make it to at least the fifth inning to have a chance. Not that the freshman pitching relief isn’t good enough, it’s just they haven’t faced playoff baseball. Their lineup is solid, as far as hitting goes. If Bryan Callahan can hold Eastside in check, they should have enough to advance,” I said.
“Aren’t you forgetting that Dawson kid?” Jeff teased.
“He’s a flash in the pan. He’ll hit two home runs and maybe steal a base tonight.”
“What about Eastside?”
“Eh, they’re okay,” I said and shrugged, then looked around at the other reporters who were listening in.
“Not too high on them? Could it have anything to do with them being Lincoln’s biggest rival?”
“I didn’t even consider it,” I said to some chuckles.
Jeff changed the subject, and we talked a little football. He caught me up on his grandkids and how much they liked their baseball cards. We talked about the game as it went on. St. Joe had gotten to the Mt. Vernon pitcher in the first inning. They were up 5–1 at the bottom of the third when I had to go get ready.
◊◊◊
Sandy Range had sent me some new gear to try out. I usually wore sliding shorts to prevent road rash. What Sandy sent reminded me of the lacrosse pants I wore under my football gear. They had extra protection on your hips, butt, and outer thighs, and had a pouch you could slide your cup into. The shirt was formfitting and had additional padding on my ribs and back. I’d explained to Sandy that those were the two spots that really hurt if you were drilled with a baseball. She assured me this new protective shirt would help. I decided to try them out today because if anyone would throw at me, it was Eastside.
