Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 19: The Launch of the Akagi Junior High Baseball Team

The entire match lasted over two hours and can be described as spectacular.

"What are your thoughts?" After watching, Sendo asked.

"Impressive!"

"Alright then!" Sendo had already given up on discussing with this group.

"I want to confirm the goals of the Akagi Junior High Baseball Club! Is it victory, or is it fun?"

"What do you mean?" Sawamura asked, confused.

"Given the current state of Akagi Junior High, if you want to win, you have to abandon your previous carefree style of baseball. So, what's your answer?"

"Victory! I want to win and take everyone to nationals!"

"Since Eijun has said this, right?"

"Yeah, we choose to win too!"

"Therefore, does it mean you're fine with hellish training? What's your answer?" Sendo asked again.

"Yes!!!"

"Alright! I will hold you to strict standards! Although I can't guarantee that I will take you to nationals, in return, I'll make sure you taste victory."

"Now, let me explain the significance of this match! You saw the lineup, right? Gunma's Hakuryuu against Osaka's Kiryu, and Hakuryuu's style of play is going to be the foundation of our future strategy."

"Of course, we can't perfectly replicate their playing style."

"First, we must ensure solid defense. For now, we don't need to achieve extensive coordination or master too many tactics; we just need to focus on making the basic outs and avoiding simple mistakes. Mistakes like a passed ball must not happen again."

"Next is offense. Without my permission, everyone is banned from swinging for the fences! Ah, Eijun, you're exempt!"

"Ah?" Several people exclaimed anxiously.

"Why is that?" someone cried out, clearly concerned about Eijun's batting reliability despite Sendo's statement.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing?" The others hurriedly shook their heads and waved their hands as they sensed Sendo's serious gaze.

"Eijun, your swinging is the soul of Akagi Junior High! Without your swing, my life would turn dark and lose its joy!" Sendo suddenly changed tone in jest towards Sawamura.

"Mmm mmm mmm!"

"Here comes the puppy-style snarl! ... Now, let's talk about baserunning!"

Sendo's mood swung so quickly that others were left dumbfounded; the first half of his speech was joking, and in an instant, he became serious, leaving Sawamura no chance to retort.

Afraid of interrupting Sendo's plans, he could only stare at him with endless resentment.

"Next is baserunning! Everyone must learn the type of base-stealing tactics that Hakuryuu employs. The timing for stealing bases, the speed of running, and the explosive power needed to accelerate from zero to full speed are crucial for our team's offense."

"Then there's the coordination between batters and runners. We need to learn how to continually put pressure on the opposing defense at the bases, forcing them into mistakes."

"Once there's pressure, no amount of training matters. If the mindset is disturbed by pressure, their defense will struggle to cope under the relentless stress, and the whole defensive system will collapse. Oh, and by the way, you need to lose some weight!" The last remark was directed at the chubby player.

"Hahaha!"

"And then, bunting! Everyone must master the technique of bunting and be skilled at discerning between good and bad pitches. If we struggle with batting, then we must find ways to get on base through pitch selection, combining that with pressure from the runners to score. This is also why I'm saying we need to abandon happy-go-lucky baseball."

"Next summer, we must at least be able to pick pitches and execute bunts. Batters and runners must be able to coordinate simply, and runners need to learn how to find the right moment to start. As for more advanced tactics for applying pressure while running the bases, we can discuss that later."

"Defensively, we won't require coordinated plays or no runs allowed, but we must avoid simple mistakes, and we must be able to handle basic ground balls and fly balls. We need to secure those easy outs."

"As for swinging and hitting, we'll talk about that once we have some tangible competition experience."

After a bit of joking, Sendo clearly conveyed his thoughts and plans for the week, repeating points to ensure that even those who might forget basic rules understood.

"Did you come up with all this, Sendo?"

"Wow, amazing!" After listening to Sendo's summary, several people chimed in, praising him.

"It seems you're accepting it. Well, don't be fooled by how simple I make it sound; practicing will be extremely tedious and tiring, so be ready for that."

"Oh!"

"By the way, starting this summer break, we'll be having a training camp, and this guy will be your bunting coach!" Sendo said, wrapping his right arm around Sawamura and pointing at him with his left hand.

Sendo certainly wouldn't forget about the existence of the prince of bunting.

"Eh?" Everyone exclaimed in surprise, especially Sawamura, whose voice was the loudest.

"Don't worry, you just need to mimic his movements. This guy isn't too bright and won't be able to teach you anything."

"Hahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter.

Except for one person who wasn't happy at all.

What no one knew was that Sendo was aware of Sawamura's hitting problem—he swung too quickly and lacked the ability to accurately judge the timing like Sendo could with just a glance.

However, he didn't want to get too involved, fearing it might hinder Sawamura's growth, while others were destined to be unrelated to a professional career, so he felt free to train them as he liked.

After finishing his speech, he took out a few cups and poured juice for everyone.

"To the future of Akagi Junior High, cheers!" This was said by Sawamura, and no one was more suited to say it than him.

"To the future of Akagi Junior High, cheers!" the others echoed, with Sendo quietly raising his cup without saying a word, feeling too embarrassed to speak up.

"We're definitely going to nationals!!!" In the end, it was just Sawamura left enthusiastically shouting that.

"Hahaha!" Everyone laughed heartily, and Sendo couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle along.

Sendo couldn't help but wonder if spending all day with these middle school baseball boys would be utterly embarrassing for him in the future!

But regardless, starting today, the Akagi Junior High Baseball Club was officially launching!

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