Hearing the cheers from the audience, Sawamura frequently waved at them.
Even though most of the spectators hadn't witnessed his victory over Kuramochi, Sawamura felt they were cheering for him.
For Sawamura himself, it was a sweet feeling.
He hadn't expected to surpass Kuramochi in speed. Although this excitement wasn't quite on the same level as Winning the Championship with the third-year Senpai, it was comparable to winning the Kanto Tournament.
So it feels great!
"Damn brat!"
Kuramochi glared at Sawamura, who was in the high heavens, his annoyance and frustration were easy to see. But he wasn't the type to hold a grudge, and the results just now were not just easily replicable. But he was determined to improve his speed even more.
He was resolved to be way faster next time!
After losing to Sawamura, Kuramochi was determined to enhance his speed. Initially, he didn't see much improvement because he had already reached a high level of speed. It was only after he put more effort into his speed that Kuramochi's swiftness truly advanced.
With Coach Kataoka and coach Ochiai's guidance, Kuramochi adopted more specific techniques for running. Even if none of them made an explosive improvement in his speed, they were chipping fractions of a second from his final record, which can make or break the game.
Kuramochi's future improvement in speed had a lot to do with this competition.
Every baseball player is proud of something, especially those with exceptional skills. Even if he loses in other areas, he doesn't care much, but in terms of speed, he doesn't want to lose to anyone.
Not even to Sawamura!
Even after spending half a year together, treating Sawamura like a Kohai and a friend, Kuramochi was still unwilling to be outpaced by him.
"Next up is hitting practice. Although we have enough first-string members, there isn't a significant difference in skill levels among everyone. Your hitting performance will likely determine the back numbers for the upcoming season. We don't have to participate in the preliminaries of the Fall Tournament, but we still need to finalize the roster before the 10th. So, give it your all!"
Before hitting practice began, Coach Ochiai dropped a tempting hint.
It was a very, very, tempting hint.
With Sawamura's recent exceptional performance, everyone was confident about advancing to the spring Koshien.
At this point, securing a desirable back number was particularly precious.
The difference between earning a main back number and not was significant.
Take the retired third-year Senpais, for example. The main players generally received professional draft invitations.
In contrast, substitutes had fewer opportunities, mostly receiving college draft invitations.
Even if the main players didn't achieve remarkable results, someone like Sakai, who barely had a noticeable presence, received four college draft invitations.
If he aimed for a professional career, securing a recommendation wasn't out of the question either.
But Substitutes received only one or two invitations.
This illustrates the gap.
When skill levels are vastly different, it's one thing. However, with everyone's skill levels being roughly the same, competition becomes fierce.
Except for the four players in the original main team, other positions were up for grabs.
So, upon hearing Coach Ochiai's words, the previously harmonious atmosphere suddenly became charged with tension.
"Won't Coach Ochiai's words affect the relationships between the players?" President Ota asked anxiously, rubbing his hands.
Coach Kataoka remained silent and turned his gaze toward Ochiai.
In matters of training, Coach Kataoka preferred to trust Coach Ochiai's judgment. After the Kanto Tournament, Kataoka recognized his own limitations and his lack in the technical area and asked the principal and the dean to find an experienced coach to assist him. While Kataoka was a competent Mentor, he knew he wasn't an exceptional trainer.
He didn't want to turn the Seidou High School baseball team into a squad focused solely on winning. He preferred to make Seidou a place where players could pursue their dreams and mature as people.
On the surface, the two goals might seem similar, but they are fundamentally different.
"I understand your concern," Ochiai said. "Training together and shouting slogans isn't bad at all. But isn't it typically the weaker teams with low morale that need to do this? Seidou High School is now a National Champion! If the players don't have the mindset to evolve, they'll face serious setbacks in the Autumn Competition."
With his rich experience, Ochiai was the most qualified to speak on this.
"Different players need different approaches, especially those with exceptional talent. And as for internal competition, hasn't Seidou High always operated this way? Open competition means only those who deliver results will advance. Rather than letting players figure this out on their own when we don't have time, it's better to be upfront with them."
Once Ochiai finished, President Ota and Coach Kataoka had no further objections. Although they privately felt Ochiai's approach was somewhat harsh, they had to admit that the previous system at Seidou High had operated similarly, even if it wasn't publicly declared. Truly committed players had always pushed themselves harder.
Making this a formal rule and clearly communicating it to all players would naturally motivate those who saw potential in themselves to work harder, increasing the performance gap between players. This was beneficial for competitive players and the entire Seidou High School.
However, not all players at Seidou were exceptionally talented. What about those who weren't as gifted?
This was why Coach Kataoka and the coaching staff had avoided publicly announcing this approach.
"Isn't telling players who aren't up to par a form of kindness? I've heard about the third-year players and respect their hard work and determination deeply. But this didn't conflict with our rules.
Even if they'd been told in their first year that they lacked talent, would they have quit? We don't need to directly inform them; we let them find out through regular tests. If they're unwilling to work harder, perhaps it's best for them to return to normal student life and focus on another career.
If they only see club sports as physical exercise, that's fine too. We won't force them to push harder if they don't want to represent the school.
As for the players who are willing to work hard despite all the harsh conditions, we, the coaching staff, can give them 'rewards' with technical bits of advice here and there to improve their overall performance."
Ochiai's words thoroughly convinced the coaching staff led by Coach Kataoka.
Previously, everyone had only a vague understanding of this rule; now it was akin to an official policy.
Want a key jersey number? Want to wear the Seidou High School uniform and represent the school in games? Then show results in your training. And if you train hard, we will help you upgrade your performance.
The best performers would get the coveted numbers. Even substitutes had a chance to play if they performed well. and if you are tryhard, you will get help. These were the guidelines Ochiai forwarded in Seidou High School instead of dancing around it. Though Coach Kataoka had previously followed this principle, it wasn't as explicitly defined as now.
With the rules clearly outlined, both players and coaching staff would have to adhere to them.
This kind of healthy competition would help the new team at Seidou High School quickly recover its competitive edge after the departure of the third-year players.
"Coach Ochiai certainly doesn't shy away from shaking things up," Sawamura mused. He wasn't surprised by Ochiai's methods, as they had already been implemented in his previous life. The results were excellent, though some side effects were inevitable. For the team's healthy development, such sacrifices were essential.
With Ochiai's standards in place, the competitive spirit among the players soared.
…
T/N: That's it for now!
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