After a slow jog around the field and some basic dynamic stretches, Linus felt his body loosen up a bit, the stiffness from the start of practice beginning to fade. It wasn't anything special—just the kind of warm-up he was used to from gym class, but it got his blood flowing. He glanced around at the other players, feeling a little out of place but keeping up easily enough.
Once they were finished with the warm-up, Coach Chris called out for everyone to grab a ball and pair up. "We're going to warm up our arms. Just throw easy and back up a bit as you go," he instructed.
Elias, standing nearby, turned to Linus with a grin. "Wanna pair up?" he asked, tossing a glove to Linus. It was a little stiff in his hand, but Linus worked his fingers into it, adjusting it to fit.
"Sure," Linus replied, moving into position a few meters away from Elias. Elias tossed the ball lightly toward him, and Linus caught it with a slight thud in the glove, feeling the weight of the ball.
"So, you've never really played baseball before?" Elias asked casually as they threw back and forth, gradually increasing the distance between each other.
"Not really," Linus said, tossing the ball back. His throw wasn't perfect, but it reached Elias easily enough. "I played one game in the U.S. with some friends, but that's about it. I'm just giving it a shot to see if I like it."
Elias caught the ball with a grin. "Interesting. You don't see too many people just trying out baseball here. Most people who play usually grew up with it."
Linus shrugged, catching the ball again. "Yeah, I guess I'm just trying something new."
They kept throwing, with Elias backing up a bit more. "Don't throw too hard. We're just warming up," Elias said, watching as Linus threw the ball back, focusing on keeping it relaxed. His throws were okay, though he could feel himself starting to strain a bit more as the distance grew.
After a few more throws, Coach Chris called the group back in. "Alright, pitchers, go ahead with Coach Anders for your drills. The rest of you, we're going to start with some infield practice." A handful of players split off, heading toward the assistant coach.
Chris walked over to Linus. "We'll run some infield drills. I like to rotate everyone through different positions—it's good to build those skills across the board. Linus, you'll get to try out all the infield spots now, and then will do outfield drills after. Just see how it feels and stay relaxed."
Chris then introduced the drill. "Here's how it's going to go," he began, making sure everyone was listening.
"We'll have four players at a time on the field—one at each infield position: first base, second base, shortstop, and third base. The rest of you will line up and rotate in after each set of three balls. I'll hit grounders and your job is to field the ball and make the throw to first, or for the 1st baseman field the ball and tag the base yourself. Everyone will rotate after three balls, so you'll get to try each position."
After Coach Chris explained the infield drill, Linus took his spot at the back of the line, with Elias standing just in front of him. He watched intently as the first four players moved into position: first base, second base, shortstop, and third base. The rest of the team lined up, ready to rotate in after each set of three balls.
The coach stepped up with a bat, holding a few baseballs in his hand. With a quick swing, he hit a sharp grounder to the shortstop. The fielder scooped it up and made a clean throw to first base, where the first baseman stood with one foot on the bag, ready to catch the ball. The throw was clean, and the first baseman caught it with ease, completing the play. Chris nodded approvingly as the drill continued.
Linus stood quietly, observing how each player fielded the ball. Most of the grounders were handled well, though occasionally the ball would take a bad hop, forcing the fielder to adjust. Some players fumbled the catch but quickly recovered, using their bodies to block the ball and make the throw after. Coach Chris would shout encouragement or give tips, like reminding the players to stay low or to move their feet faster.
Linus took mental notes, watching the way each player positioned themselves and how they reacted to the ball. He was feeling a little nervous now, knowing his turn was coming soon. Fielding seemed simple when watching, but actually doing it was another story.
Finally, it was Elias's turn. He jogged over to first base and took his position, a couple of meters from 1st base. Linus watched closely as the next grounder was hit to third base. The third baseman scooped it up and fired a throw to Elias, who moved towards 1st base as soon as he saw the ball wasn't hit towards him, then easily catched the ball. He nodded in approval, stepping off the bag to toss the ball back towards the coach who was preparing to hit another ball.
When Elias's turn ended, Linus's heart started to race. His time had come. He jogged over to first base, feeling a bit of nervous excitement as he took his spot. He positioned himself a couple of meters from the 1st base as Elias had done. His job was simple: either, field the grounder towards him and step on 1st base to get the imaginary runner out, or if the ball was hit somewhere else, to run to 1st base and with one foot on the bag, catch the ball thrown by one of the other fielders.
The first ball was hit toward the shortstop. Linus moved to 1st as he tracked the play as the shortstop cleanly fielded the ball and made the throw. Linus stretched his glove out, making sure to keep his foot firmly on the base. The ball hit his glove with a satisfying thwap as he secured the out.
"Nice catch!" Elias called from 2nd base.
Linus smiled, his nerves easing slightly. The next grounder went to third base. Linus repeated the same action as before and stayed focused, ready for the throw. This time, the throw came in a bit high, but Linus reacted quickly, stretching his glove hand up and keeping his foot anchored to the bag. He snagged the ball out of the air, completing the play.
"Good job, Linus!" Chris called from the side. "Way to adjust!"
The final grounder of the set was hit to Elias. Linus watched Elias scoop it up and make a quick throw. The ball came in fast, but Linus caught it cleanly, his foot on the base. With that, his turn at first base was over, and he jogged over to the 2nd baseman position, feeling a small surge of pride.