The departure of Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya was nothing short of a disaster for the Seidou High School baseball team.
The overall strength of the team would drop by at least two levels.
Promoting new players to replace them had become critically important.
If the new players were chosen well, the drop could be reduced to just one level.
However, if the wrong players were chosen, the team's decline would surely drag Seidou High into an irreversible abyss.
At the very least, their winning streak would likely come to an end.
Sawamura and Miyuki exchanged glances.
They both kept silent, eyes on the floor, with their thoughts focused inward.
No matter how much the team relied on them, they were ultimately just players on the Seidou High baseball team.
The decision on who would be promoted to the first team was not something they had any say in.
At least, they believed they had no right to offer any opinions.
The most important thing in life is to understand your place.
If something wasn't your responsibility, you shouldn't meddle with it.
Both Sawamura and Miyuki were the types of people who understood these boundaries. Naturally, they didn't speak up at this moment.
Had it not been for Coach Kataoka signaling to them, the two wouldn't have even stayed to listen to the discussion.
The newly promoted players were mainly brought in to face the upcoming practice games.
During these practice games, the two of them would already be packing up to join the training camp at Inashiro Industrial High School.
Although they couldn't help but feel a little concerned, since they wouldn't be directly facing the issue, there was little they could do about it.
At most, they'd give some words of encouragement to Kuramochi before leaving, hoping that under his leadership, Seidou High would continue to move forward.
"Hirota has been performing well lately. His batting skills are impressive. If both Sawamura and Miyuki leave, our batting power will be severely weakened, so I believe it's necessary to promote him now."
President Ota seemed particularly fond of Hirota.
Every opportunity he got, he recommended him to Coach Kataoka.
In fact, this wasn't the first time he had done so.
He had previously suggested to Kataoka multiple times that Hirota should be promoted as soon as possible.
This time, the opportunity was too good to miss, even a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
So, naturally, President Ota continued to recommend him.
"Hirota should be from your previous team, right? I heard you two even have a close relationship. What do you, as his senpai, think of him?"
For some reason, Coach Kataoka was acting unusually today, without his usual autocratic behavior. Instead, he democratically asked Sawamura for his opinion.
Sawamura's expression grew strange.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't understand why this matter was being brought up with him.
Even though he was Hirota's senior, and Hirota privately called him Shisho, this personal relationship didn't seem like a valid reason to select him for the first team, right?
Furthermore, in Seidou High's baseball club, there were quite a few players with similar relationships. Some junior teams even directly sent players to Seidou.
But, as far as Sawamura knew, Coach Kataoka had never consulted anyone before about their choices.
For instance, from the Matsutaka Little League.
In their generation, there were two star players, Toujou and Kanemaru, who were from Matsutaka Little League.
The new player, Kuki Youhei, was their junior.
But when had Coach Kataoka asked Toujou or Kanemaru about Kuki Youhei?
'Something was off!'
Sawamura had a vague feeling that Coach Kataoka might have some ulterior motive.
But what could there be about him that Kataoka would be interested in?
Sawamura mulled over it for a moment and couldn't find a reasonable explanation.
In the end, he had no choice but to set aside his doubts and answer Coach Kataoka's question honestly.
"As for Hirota, if we're talking purely about his batting skills and confidence, he should be quite good."
Sawamura didn't make sweeping judgments but spoke honestly.
Anyone who knew Sawamura understood that he wouldn't easily give an evaluation of someone. Unless it was in a casual setting, he would never rashly give a judgment about any player.
Sawamura would praise players without limits, whether they were enemies or teammates, if it was a joke, people would understand.
But when it came to formal occasions, Sawamura never lightly passed judgment on anyone.
This was one of the benefits of his regression.
For a wise man speaks less.
If you have something of value to say, of course, you can speak at length, but if you don't, it's better to keep quiet.
Any adult understands this.
Not to mention Sawamura, who had been struggling alone for many years in a foreign land.
Words can cause trouble.
Especially when evaluating players, it could lead to unnecessary trouble.
"Aside from your Kohai, who do you think could replace you in the first team after you leave?"
Coach Kataoka didn't respond directly but pressed Sawamura further, showing no signs of letting up.
Sawamura couldn't help but smile wryly in his mind.
He was just a regular player on the team now, not even the vice-captain. How could they ask him about this?
Then, an unsettling thought crossed Sawamura's mind.
'Was it possible that Kataoka and Ochiai were already thinking about potential team Captains for next year?'
'Would my carefree days come to an end like this?'
Sawamura felt a pang of reluctance deep inside.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
He couldn't go up against Coach Kataoka.
"If I had to recommend anyone who has the potential to move up to the first team, there are several candidates. If we only consider their skills, without considering other factors, I think these players are all qualified to move up."
Sawamura answered honestly.
Although he didn't want to get involved in these matters, that didn't mean he didn't have his own thoughts on the matter. He had plenty of ideas.
"Players like Kagami, Okumura, Takuma, Hirota, and..."
As he said the last name, Sawamura hesitated.
"Don't worry about it. Just say what you think. We're just gathering suggestions, not making decisions yet."
President Ota muttered beside him.
Sawamura nodded at Ota and finally spoke the last name.
"...Matsumoto."
Matsumoto was also one of Sawamura's juniors.
Sawamura was somewhat hesitant about recommending him. In terms of overall strength, Matsumoto was still behind the others.
But he had one skill that none of the others had.
'He had exceptional catching skills.'
Now that Sawamura was no longer on the team, Matsumoto was the only one who could catch all of the pitches from the likes of Furuya and Kawakami.
His recommendation surprised the coaching staff.
He did not recommend any third-year players or second-year players. All of the recommendations were for first-year newcomers!
Although the players Sawamura recommended had solid abilities, his recommendation was still hard for some to accept.
Could it be that the training at Seidou High School is fake? Are the players who have been at Seidou High for two or three years less capable than the first-year players who just joined the team?
For any prestigious school, this was a difficult thing to accept.
Even Coach Kataoka's expression turned serious.
"Is this too much?"
Miyuki asked Sawamura with concern.
Although he knew that Sawamura would never joke about something like this, such a recommendation would be difficult for the coaching staff to accept. Sawamura bringing it up so directly seemed a bit inappropriate.
"If no one had asked me, I would have never brought this up myself."
Sawamura whispered to Miyuki.
"But since Coach Kataoka asked me so sincerely, if I don't speak the truth, how can I justify myself?"
Every team has a standard for evaluating right and wrong.
Regardless of whether the standard is correct or not, it must be followed. Otherwise, if you abandon this standard, your team will no longer be the same team.
For example, many high school teams select their main players based on their grade level.
For instance, third-year students are about to retire, and if they don't play now, they'll have no chance to play again. So, when selecting main players, the emphasis is placed on third-year players.
We won't judge whether this selection method is right or wrong, but it is reasonable.
If something exists, and it is working, then it is reasonable. Not to mention that such an arrangement gives all players the greatest fairness.
Looking carefully, you will realize that under such a selection system, almost every player has a fair opportunity to play.
This can be considered relatively fair!
But is this really the best?
No one can give an accurate answer; it must be analyzed according to the specific school.
For Seidou High School's baseball team, this arrangement is absolutely the worst.
First of all, the goals of Seidou High School's baseball team are completely different from those of ordinary teams.
Their goal has always been the same: to dominate the nation and become the best team in the country.
With such a goal in mind, Seidou High School could not afford to follow seniority. Otherwise, their goal would conflict with their actions.
Therefore, the selection standard for talent at Seidou High must be based on capability.
The strong are respected.
Those selected to represent Seidou High's baseball team, the top 120 players, will undoubtedly be the strongest group.
From this perspective, Sawamura's recommendations are completely reasonable.
The freshmen have already started to shine, and their abilities are no less than those of the senior students.
Even considering the long-term development, they might have more potential than the senior students.
Sawamura used this standard of right and wrong to choose his recommendations.
His recommendations also aligned with the expectations of coach Ochiai and Coach Kataoka.
However, they originally thought that Sawamura, being an older player, might not be able to make such an absolutely rational decision.
"You guys can leave now!"
Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai ordered, and Sawamura and Miyuki left together.
"I have a feeling there's some scheme behind this,"
Sawamura muttered.
"You're overthinking," Miyuki said dismissively. "If the coaches had a scheme, they would surely have something in mind. What is there about you that they would be interested in?"
Sawamura wanted to share his thoughts with Miyuki, but Miyuki was now the team captain, and some things couldn't be discussed.
Well, they would have to wait and see.
Sawamura's optimistic side began to take over, and he stopped worrying about these issues.
The two didn't know that, after they left, a scene unfolded in Coach Kataoka's office.
"I said, Sawamura is more suited to be the team Captain than Kanemaru, right?"
Coach Ochiai smiled, stroking his small chin.
The Management of Seidou High's baseball team had different opinions about Sawamura taking over as team Captain.
They weren't worried about Sawamura's ability, but they thought his burden was already too heavy.
Especially after Miyuki's retirement.
He would almost have to bear the entire weight of Seidou High on his shoulders.
Making him the captain would be too much for this young man.
Head President Ota and Vice President Takashima didn't want to do this.
But Coach Ochiai insisted that Sawamura was the one who could lead Seidou High to even greater glory.
Coach Kataoka agreed.
The matter was deadlocked.
"Time will tell. We'll have to test Sawamura's capabilities."
This was Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai's tacit agreement.
It turned out that even though Sawamura rarely participated in such decisions, he was actually very suitable for the role of team Captain.
Whether it was his ability or his prestige within the team, he was well-suited for it.
Otherwise, if they replaced him with someone else like Kanemaru, they wouldn't necessarily be able to suppress Sawamura.
Most importantly, the person they were considering replacing him with wasn't even excellent enough to be in the first team.
He couldn't suppress Sawamura, and he couldn't dominate the many monsters in the team either.
Considering the many strong players in the first team, the next team Captain must be a super monster.
"This matter is decided!"
Coach Kataoka didn't want to waste any more time and made a decisive decision.
Sawamura didn't know that, due to his recommendations, he had already been internally chosen to be the next team Captain.
If he knew he, would wail like a child, and curse his big mouth!
"Next, we should consider the candidates for promotion!"
That night, after the training session, Coach Kataoka gathered all the players together.
"The Tokyo Senbatsu match has been confirmed, and our team will send Miyuki and Sawamura to participate."
This news immediately caused a stir among the team.
Both Sawamura and Miyuki had special positions on the team, and they were considered the pillars of Seidou High.
If both of them were leaving this would be disastrous for the team.
The remaining players didn't know how to proceed with the game.
"Tomorrow is Friday, and the day after tomorrow is Saturday. The day after that is Sunday. We've arranged four practice matches for this weekend. Since Sawamura and Miyuki will miss these matches, we've decided to promote two players from the second team to the first team."
When Coach Kataoka announced this, the atmosphere became heavy.
Everyone knew the first team was already overstaffed.
Given that it was overstaffed, the process should be about cutting players.
It seemed almost impossible for any second-team players to be promoted to the first team, at least not during this summer.
However, Coach Kataoka hadn't cut anyone; instead, he was promoting players to the first team.
This made the competition in the first team even more fierce.
For the second-team players, this was an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss.
They were never afraid of competition, the worst thing was not having the chance to compete.
With 23 players already in the first team, if two more were promoted, the team would have 25 members.
At this point, the second-team players would have little chance of being promoted to the first team.
These two spots were their last opportunity.
The 20-player roster for Seidou High's summer competition would be formed from these 25 players.
Everyone eagerly awaited Coach Kataoka's announcement.
Coach Kataoka understood the seriousness of the situation, so his tone became much heavier.
Thankfully, the two players promoted had been carefully selected, so there was no question about it.
Without hesitation, Coach Kataoka announced the names.
"Second team, first-year, Hirota Hikaru!"
The first player promoted was, as expected, Hirota.
Sawamura and Miyuki were the team's main battery, and their positions were irreplaceable.
Since their positions couldn't be filled, the team wouldn't focus on that.
The attention shifted to their hitting power.
Sawamura and Miyuki were the third and fourth batters, the absolute core hitters of Seidou High.
They were also the most reliable scoring points.
With them gone, Seidou High's offensive power would be reduced by a large margin.
Under these circumstances, when selecting the new players, their batting ability had to be considered.
Hirota had a batting ability that rivaled the best newcomers.
His promotion was natural.
Without Sawamura's recommendation, the coaching staff was already planning this.
After Hirota, the next promoted player was none other than the young wolf cub.
"First-year, catcher Okumura Koushuu!"
Recently, Okumura had become coach Ochiai's favorite.
His talents and presence as a catcher impressed coach Ochiai greatly.
With full support from coach Ochiai, Okumura defeated Matsumoto and became a temporary member of the first team.
Of course, Matsumoto wasn't abandoned.
Although he lost to Okumura and Yui in the overall competition,
His dynamic vision and catching talent gave him an extraordinary advantage.
After a brief hesitation, Coach Kataoka assigned him to the first team's bullpen.
He would start catching pitches for all the first-team pitchers.
This was also a promotion, but he would train with the first team, though his status hadn't changed yet.
…