Chapter 707 - 707: Newcomers

"Ping!"

Under the gaze of dozens of players from Seido High School Baseball Team, the white baseball soared into the sky.

The baseball traveled over a hundred meters in the sky before it began to fall.

The outfielders responsible for fielding ran desperately backward.

This time, they had to catch the ball no matter what. It was no longer just a showdown between Sawamura and Zhang Han; it was also a challenge from all of their second team players to the First string regulars.

Unfortunately, he chased it all the way to the fence, but the baseball in the sky still hadn't fallen.

The baseball flew over the low fence, hit the protective net, and then bounced back.

"I can't believe it, nine Homeruns?"

Even the spectators watching the showdown were stunned by the result on the field.

Although they had anticipated Sawamura's crushing defeat, they never expected such a final outcome after three consecutive days of showdowns.

By pure luck alone, in nine consecutive showdowns, Sawamura should have been able to get Zhang Han out once or twice.

But it never happened once.

"Not bad today, didn't he force Zhang Han to hit a fourth time?"

"Does that count?"

The baseball was severely off the strike zone, alright?

Zhang Han didn't even let that ball go, directly sending it flying out of bounds, which made it even more astonishing.

"Let's continue tomorrow!"

Zhang Han loosened his grip on the bat and turned to leave.

Sawamura, on the pitcher's mound, was once again completely deflated.

On the first day, he quickly regained his fighting spirit. On the second day, Sawamura challenged with full confidence, only to be hit out again, and he recovered in about 15 minutes.

Presumably today, it would take a bit longer.

"At least half an hour, right?"

Some players whispered, guessing.

"Who are you looking down on? That's Sawamura; it'll be twenty-five minutes at most."

"That's too shameless..."

Continuously troubling the second team players to help with fielding, only to get such a result in the end.

How thick-skinned must one be to recover in less than half an hour and continue the challenge full of vigor?

The two people, each holding their own opinion, almost made a bet on the spot.

Their bet didn't materialize, not because anyone backed down, but because there was a new development.

"The showdown will temporarily end here!"

After verifying the growth of Zhang Han's Dynamic Vision, the significance of having him continue to face Sawamura largely disappeared.

Coupled with the team's upcoming arrangements, Coach Ochiai stepped forward and announced the orders their coaching staff had discussed earlier.

"Coach!"

The dejected Sawamura lifted his head again, unwilling to give up.

Although a bit careless, this guy wasn't stupid at all. The showdown with Senior Zhang Han, regardless of its cause, was a sign that he was being valued.

If the showdown ended, did it mean the coaching staff also...

"Starting tomorrow, it's the training camp. This Saturday and Sunday, we'll be relaxed, with no practice games scheduled. But some other training still needs to be completed by all the players together."

Ochiai stroked the little beard on his chin and calmly explained.

When everyone trains together in the camp, it's naturally no longer suitable for Zhang Han and Sawamura to practice alone.

Despite his reluctance, Sawamura still nodded: "Yes."

Sawamura himself didn't notice anything special.

But the other teammates of Seido High School Baseball Team, especially some of the First string players, kept looking at Sawamura.

In their eyes, complex and unexplainable emotions flickered.

He actually explained it to Sawamura alone?

Even in a regular high school baseball team, the authority of the coaching staff is unquestionable. Not to mention a powerhouse like Seido High School Baseball Team.

Coach Ochiai being patient enough to explain to Sawamura fully showed that in the minds of the Seido High School Baseball Team coaches, Sawamura's status was quite special.

Everyone originally thought that Sawamura, who had lost the showdown with Zhang Han, would have no chance to turn things around.

But now it seemed that the actual outcome might deviate from what they imagined.

After Coach Ochiai finished speaking, he prepared to leave.

Unexpectedly, all the second team players were looking at him eagerly.

Tomorrow was the training camp, and all training for today was over. Shouldn't that be announced?

But Ochiai seemed completely oblivious to the players' unusual behavior, and he prepared to leave unhurriedly.

Watching his receding figure, the light in the eyes of those second team players grew dimmer and dimmer.

Was there no chance left at all?

Kominato Haruichi, whose eyes were covered by his bangs, clenched his fists unwillingly.

The reason he chose to join Seido High School was partly to follow in his brother's footsteps, and partly to fight alongside his brother when he was a third-year.

But now it seemed that this was destined to be just a beautiful wish of his.

The only reason Coach Ochiai didn't stop might be one thing.

That is, this year, Coach Kataoka and the coaches of the coaching staff did not intend to select players from the second team, nor did they plan to cultivate new talents.

Is there such a possibility?

This possibility really existed; some second team players had made such a guess before.

First, the current twenty members of the First string are all exceptionally outstanding.

In the recently concluded Kanto Tournament, these very people fought their way into the finals.

And in the finals, they eliminated the strong Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team, thereby dominating Kanto in one fell swoop.

As for cultivating new talents.

Seido High School Baseball Team has always had such a tradition; every summer, they select one or two exceptionally talented players from the new recruits for cultivation.

But this year, Seido High School Baseball Team had already picked out those two new talents.

One was Jinguuji, famous in junior high, and the other was Furuya Satoru, who made a stunning debut in the first game of the Kanto Tournament.

There's no need to say much about Furuya Satoru; his pitching talent made many team coaches drool when they saw it.

It is said that some coaches from Hokkaido, after watching the Kanto Tournament games, were filled with regret.

Such a person, the team naturally had to cultivate with all its might.

Although Jinguuji still hasn't had any outstanding performance, and his two pinch-hitting appearances were average.

But that was mainly because the opponents of Seido High School Baseball Team were too strong.

It wasn't because Jinguuji himself was bad?

His performance in the freshman welcome game had already explained everything. Not to mention, his growth since entering high school was also evident to everyone.

Becoming a core regular of the team in the future was just a matter of time.

In this situation, it was not impossible for Coach Kataoka and the coaches of the coaching staff to focus on cultivating the 20 players in the First string.

This was what made the second team players feel most desperate.

Just as everyone in the second team was almost despairing, a hint of a smile flashed in Ochiai's eyes ahead.

He scratched the back of his head, as if suddenly remembering something, and looked apologetically at the players behind him.

"I forgot to tell you, after dinner and showering, gather on the field at 8 PM; the Coach has something to announce."

After dinner and showering?

Previously, Coach Kataoka would announce such things immediately after the players finished training.

But today, he changed his usual routine, not announcing the results immediately, but instead telling everyone to wait until after dinner and showering.

"It seems it's not just about announcing the roster?"

Several First string regulars had been with their Coach for quite some time, and they quickly analyzed the truth of the matter.

"It's definitely different; last year's training camp started on Monday. This time it starts on Sunday, which means there's no chance for classes."

The third-year players, recalling last year's painful experience, still felt a cold sweat.

That week's experience was almost like hell for them.

Now, their journey to hell would be extended by two days.

"Since Senior Azuma and the others made it through, we have no reason to give up like this."

Isashiki Jun said aggressively.

"Including Saturday and Sunday, what did we do those two days last year?"

"I think we were still playing practice games."

Practice games, what a memory.

Especially compared to the hellish training camp, that memory was simply too wonderful.

During dinner, the second and third-year players suddenly felt that the food in front of them was not as delicious as before.

Although usually, everyone liked to do extra practice.

But tonight, probably no player would choose to do that.

If someone foolishly did that, they might really die from overwork tomorrow.

After showering, Zhang Han changed his clothes and checked the time on his phone.

7:45 PM.

There were still a full fifteen minutes until the assembly time Coach Kataoka mentioned.

But Zhang Han had already stood up, ready to head over early.

Many people had the same idea as him; on the way to the field, Zhang Han saw many of his teammates.

"Who do you think has a better chance?"

Miyuki had an expression of keen interest.

Zhang Han wasn't too concerned about Miyuki's question.

Anyway, no matter what, his two junior teammates wouldn't have a chance to be promoted this time.

Toujou was slightly better; he was already making a name for himself among the new recruits. But even so, he hadn't been promoted to the second team.

As for Kanemaru, there was even less to say.

The team's regular Third Baseman position, while not contested by an overwhelmingly strong player, had several strong contenders.

This position could basically be considered one of the most fiercely contested positions in Seido High School Baseball Team.

In order, Kanemaru would probably rank fifth or sixth.

Frankly speaking, he really had no chance at all.

Besides that, among the new recruits, the one with the closest relationship to Zhang Han was probably Sawamura.

Although this silly kid didn't know it himself, within Seido High School Baseball Team, everyone highly praised him.

Just look at the effort Seido High School Baseball Team put into cultivating him.

Coach Kataoka personally corrected his pitching form, and Takashima Rei was like a live-in nanny, observing everything about him.

Chris, Seido High School Baseball Team's genius catcher, was still busy competing with Miyuki for the team's regular catcher position.

Such a busy person, the Coach and coaches still entrusted him to be Sawamura's mentor, helping Sawamura with extra lessons when not training.

Zhang Han, the team's core slugger, one of the top hitters in the country.

He also practiced with Sawamura at the Coach's request.

Although this practice wasn't just for Sawamura, the Coach also hoped that Zhang Han would gain something from his showdowns with Sawamura.

But just being able to practice with Zhang Han already showed how special Sawamura was in the eyes of the coaching staff.

"That silly kid should be fine."

Although there were still a few other players in the second team whose names were frequently mentioned.

However, in Zhang Han's opinion, the one most likely to be promoted was probably Sawamura Eijun.

Whether he could stay in the First string was really hard to judge.

After all, the current First string players were all very strong, and even the two first-year new recruits were not very likely to be replaced by him.

But going to the training camp with the First string, Sawamura would definitely be fine.

The Coach and the coaches of the coaching staff had spent so much effort cultivating him; it was impossible that they wouldn't even give him a chance.

As for which of the new recruits would ultimately stay in the First string and participate in the Summer Tournament.

That would depend on everyone's performance in practice over the next nine days.

Especially after a week of high-intensity training, the practice games next Saturday and Sunday would largely determine the final twenty-man roster for Seido High School Baseball Team.

Exactly as Zhang Han thought.

Coach Kataoka was a very straightforward person. After arriving at the meeting place, he didn't talk about other things first, but instead announced who would join the First string for combined practice.

"Second-year Ono Hiroshi, Maezono Kenta, first-year Kominato Haruichi, Sawamura Eijun."

He promoted four players in one breath, and all of them were first or second-year players.

Clearly, Coach Kataoka was not just selecting players for the Summer Tournament.

He was also preparing for the formation of a new team after the third-year players graduated.

Even if these four individuals were not promoted to the First string before the Summer Tournament.

They would still play important roles in the team formed afterward.

Originally, everyone thought that announcing the new players was the most important thing tonight, but they obviously guessed wrong.

Coach Kataoka specifically gathered everyone, and it wasn't just for this matter. There was also a huge bomb waiting for them.

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