Everyone is well aware of the significance of Seidou High School choosing to hold tests at this time. Since returning from Koshien, the two remaining slots in the first team have not been filled.
It's almost as if Superintendent Kataoka had genuinely forgotten about this matter.
Of course, that's impossible.
The only reasonable explanation is that Kataoka is waiting for this year's freshmen to be ready.
Waiting is not without meaning; in fact, it is highly significant.
Outstanding freshmen are beginning to emerge one after another.
There are at least a dozen excellent players whose names can be called out.
However, even among these dozen, some shine remarkably brighter.
For instance, there's now Yuuki Masashi.
All eyes in the venue are almost entirely focused on this man.
At this moment, he seems to have become the center of the entire universe.
In his first test, he hit a home run, and immediately after, he scored a long hit to the outfield during a proper showdown.
His prowess is terrifying.
"Truly impressive!"
At this moment, Toujou has completely given up.
Becoming a pitcher in the Seidou High School team indeed seems unrealistic.
However, he will not abandon his dream of being a pitcher. If he can't achieve it in High School, he can always place his hopes on college.
Surely the college he attends won't be filled with so many pitching monsters like at Seidou High.
The players who followed and took the tests were not as fierce as Yuuki Masashi.
Although they all made contact with the ball, their hits were either weak or ended up as pop flies.
In serious matchups with Toujou, both Kagami, Okumura, and Takuma were dealt with swiftly and decisively.
Only at this moment did a few of the newcomers truly understand what High School baseball is about.
Their skills still seemed a bit immature.
Of course, there were outstanding performers among them.
For example, the former national team captain and main catcher, Yui Kaoru.
His performance was quite good.
After observing for a bit, he chose a relatively easy pitch and hit the ball.
The baseball flew precisely into the outfield!
"It's impressive that he can hit the ball so far with that physique!"
Coach Ochiai was also astonished by Yui Kaoru's excellent performance.
He candidly said, "Not to mention his skills as a catcher, just based on this hitting, he could indeed secure a spot in the lineup."
One can't help but reflect on how the past few years were indeed a dark period for Seidou High School. The players recruited were hardly the top tier.
It's only in Seidou that these freshmen could rise so quickly.
If they were placed in Inashiro or Ichidai San High, they might struggle to showcase their skills and threaten the first team so soon.
Apart from these two, another standout was Nishiyama.
The world runner-up Ace pitcher and cleanup hitter performed exceptionally well once again.
He cleanly hit another home run.
Of course, there were some skills involved.
Miyuki looked at Nishiyama in disbelief and whispered to Sawamura, "Didn't this guy just guess the pitch?"
Sawamura nodded firmly.
Nishiyama hitting a home run didn't mean his swing was superior to Yuuki Masashi's. It was simply that he had seen through Kariba's pitching strategy.
"It seems we really have an incredible player in our team."
Nishiyama's understanding of baseball is undoubtedly on par with Miyuki's.
Combining this with his previous displays of strength...
Keeping such a player in the freshman squad seems somewhat wasteful.
Three exceptional newcomers stood out, bringing great surprises.
However, there are only two slots available for promotion to the first team.
Even if they wanted to challenge the other 18 upperclassmen, they wouldn't get the chance, as the school has already submitted the names of those 18 before the Spring Tournament.
There's no way to retract those names now.
That's absolutely impossible.
Based on recent performances, the most deserving of promotion are undoubtedly Yuuki Masashi and Nishiyama.
But from the team's needs perspective, promoting Nishiyama at this moment doesn't seem meaningful.
The team already has Ace pitcher Sawamura, main substitute pitcher Furuya, and relief pitcher Kawakami.
For now, there's no need to add another pitcher to the roster.
While Nishiyama's batting prowess is impressive, there seems to be no reason to promote him solely for his hitting.
Furthermore, although he has hit two home runs and has performed better than Yuuki Masashi in hitting, Coach Ochiai and Superintendent Kataoka seem to favor Yuuki Masashi more.
Nishiyama is a highly complete player; although he has demonstrated impressive strength, one can subtly see where his limits lie.
He will undoubtedly become a core player for the team in the future, but it seems unnecessary to promote him now.
On the other hand, Yuuki Masashi, even without hitting the sweet spot, managed to forcefully hit the ball out using sheer power.
Such outstanding performance successfully caught the attention of Superintendent Kataoka and Coach Ochiai.
With a little coaching, he is sure to show remarkable improvement.
Of course, there's also the emotional factor related to the Captain of Steel, Yuuki Tetsuya.
This innate favoritism is something even Superintendent Kataoka and Coach Ochiai are unaware of.
They simply feel Yuuki Masashi is the better choice.
From a positional standpoint, Seidou High School certainly needs to promote a catcher right now.
Although Yui Kaoru's performance seems a bit lacking in comparison.
But there's no choice; Seidou High is severely lacking catchers!
Once Miyuki and the others retire, Seidou will fall into the legendary catcher crisis.
To be proactive, it's crucial to promote a catcher now.
After evaluating, it seems each of the three has its pros and cons.
Following Seidou High's traditional approach, the best performer should be promoted.
However, considering the team's actual needs, promoting Yuuki Masashi and Yui Kaoru seems more appropriate at this time.
Caught in this dilemma, Superintendent Kataoka fell into a state of indecision.
After much hesitation, he decided to have the players compete in a playoff.
Since it's hard to weigh the options, let's let their skills speak for themselves.
The catcher was swapped again, this time bringing in Miyuki.
"My goodness, this is too cruel," said Kuramochi, reveling in the drama.
Previously, they had no ground to stand on against these freshmen.
Each newcomer, one by one, had solid long-hitting abilities.
In contrast, these upperclassmen had truly lackluster power.
Getting them to hit and secure a single wasn't an issue, but asking them to hit home runs was a tall order.
Seeing these freshman Kohais about to face a tough time, Kuramochi smirked maliciously.
It's time for these freshmen to experience what it means to be brought down a peg!
He has absolute confidence in Miyuki's pitch selection.
Toujou himself is no slouch, especially with Miyuki's cooperation.
The outcome of the match is predictable.
In fact, the results are not far off.
All three were dealt with, and although two of them made contact, one hit a ground ball and the other a pop fly.
The one who hit the ground ball was Yui Kaoru!
He was clearly tricked, and his swing rhythm was disrupted.
In contrast, Yuuki Masashi stuck to his hitting style.
He clearly sent the ball soaring.
The white ball flew high into the air, creating a pop fly.
But the force behind the hit was extraordinary; it felt like that ball could just fly away.
Finally, it was Nishiyama's turn.
He was directly outsmarted.
He tried to guess Miyuki's pitch selection, but Miyuki played him at his own game.
Miyuki tricked him with two balls outside the zone, leading to him striking out.
"Change-up!"
Nishiyama looked at Toujou on the mound in disbelief.
He had never imagined that this upperclassman could throw a Change-up!
"Hehe, if we teamed up, we might make a great battery!" Miyuki said cheerfully.
Nishiyama had just thought of the same, which allowed him to successfully deceive Nishiyama.
"You guessed the pitch perfectly!"
Even though Nishiyama struck out, his performance indeed caught the attention of Superintendent Kataoka and Coach Ochiai.
Such talent would be a waste if not cultivated properly.
After all the freshman tests, the candidates for the first round of promotions have been determined.
The two slots that had previously not been filled have now been allocated after this match.
The two promoted to the first team are Nishiyama and Yuuki Masashi.
The reason they could be promoted so quickly is simply that they have the strength to back it up.
In the end, Seidou High School upheld their tradition.
Of course, they also gave special consideration to another outstanding newcomer.
After all, Seidou High School truly needs to cultivate a catcher quickly.
So, they promptly moved Yui Kaoru down to the second team!
He will start training with the second team and play practice games with other teams to hone his skills through real matches.
To this end, Superintendent Kataoka and Coach Ochiai specifically spoke with Yui Kaoru.
"Currently, there's no chance for you to play in the first team. Stay in the second team for now and train well."
"Understood!"
Not being able to be promoted directly to the first team left Yui Kaoru somewhat disappointed.
However, he knew this was unavoidable; he simply wasn't good enough.
Staying in the second team has its benefits.
That means he can finally start playing in games.
Aside from the three of them, the other freshmen will continue their training step by step.
Waiting for their next chance to get promoted.
That opportunity is actually just around the corner.
After the spring tournament, Seidou High School's orientation match will be their last chance before the summer tournament.
Those who can advance to the second team in that match will be eligible to compete for spots in the summer tournament.
…