A bead of sweat escaped from his helmet-covered head, rolled steadily down the side of his face and easily navigated a layer of day-old scruff. The sweat was able to drip freely as Jack remained fully concentrated while he awaited the 90-mile-per- hour pitch that was about to whip over home plate. The mental focus wasn't wholly necessary; after years of little league, a starring role on his high school team and a full-ride to State, Jack's muscles were capable of reacting on their own. The high arm, easy grip and level swing had become intuitive over the years, and often Jack's body reacted to the fast approaching ball before he even realized it had left the pitcher's hand. Nerves about minor league scouts had him on high alert, however; he had been making a concerted effort to fully engage with every drill and every scrimmage.
As ball met bat, Jack's muscles reverberated from the energy transfer and his arms shook a bit before he kicked up dust heading from first, then quickly rounded the corner to second. His left cleat slid up to the side of the plate just before his friend Thomas managed to tag him on the shoulder; it was a close one, but he was safe.
"Nice, man. You hauled ass getting over here. Keep with that and you'll be picked up by every coach who shows next Friday night."
Jack pushed himself off the ground and positioned himself with one foot on the plate and the other edging out toward third. He glanced at Thomas with what he hoped looked like a casual half grin, and then turned to look at the next batter as he responded.
"Thanks, bro. We have to massacre the visiting team to keep our record, too."
There was a slight catch in his voice, and Jack seriously hoped Thomas was too busy thinking about next Friday to give it much notice. He could chalk it up to scouting nerves getting the best of him, but somewhere in the back of his head, a nagging feeling told him the anxiety had less to do with baseball and more to do with Thomas' ass in his practice uniform. He and Thomas had played ball together for the past three years at State, after Thomas walked on his sophomore year with a surprising amount of talent for someone with so little background in the sport. He hadn't become the best player on the team by any means, but he'd managed to make a real name for himself around the college.
Jack had always admired how laid back Thomas seemed, a stark contrast to his own incredibly disciplined and controlled lifestyle. Oppressive as it may seem to others, his dedication played a significant role in reaching such success in baseball thus far. He only hoped it could carry him to the minors as well. Though he wasn't one much for superstition, Jack refused to let himself ponder the possibilities beyond the minor leagues; he wanted to give himself the best shot, and some part of him believed that imagining anything further than the next few years could jinx his career. For now, he had tunnel vision for a spot on a minor league team.
The players had been given a reprieve and practice finished up unusually early. Coach was in one of his somewhat pleasant, though still predominantly irritated moods and in an uncharacteristically generous move, he let the boys out before 5 pm. Eight hour daily practice had been taking a toll on Jack, and he breathed a heavy sigh of relief with the announcement.
"You boys better be going home to eat and sleep, none of that drinking and shit. Tell your girls your cocks are off limits, and get some shut-eye before your sunrise wake up tomorrow. It's your Saturday run and you can bet your ass that those morning miles will hurt like hell no matter what."
The huddle broke, and Jack eagerly went to grab his mitt before heading to take a long, hot shower. Both his mental and bodily muscles were aching with tension and exertion; a shower would help relax him somewhat.
"Jack, take the bats and water cooler back to the practice shed! That shit won't move itself!" Coach yelled after him before he managed to leave the field, and today everyone had cleared to the locker rooms swiftly thanks to excitement from getting out early. He was the only one in the vicinity, so coach was forcing cleanup on him. Perfect, he thought. All I want to do is take a fucking shower. But I'll do this, got to stay on coach's good side before the next game. Don't need to give him a reason not to let me show the scouts what I've got.