Zhang Han's matter-of-fact demeanor deeply unsettled his companions around him. They suddenly realized they didn't want to talk to Zhang Han at all.
A thoughtful expression flashed across Miyuki's face.
It was said that when Zhang Han was in his first year of junior high school, he had already represented Matsukata Little League in games. After joining Seido High School Baseball Team, he also joined the First string very early and achieved very dazzling results.
Not to mention the first-year students who had just joined the team, who would naturally look up to him. Sometimes even players of the same year would look at Zhang Han as if he were a famous senior.
In fact, even Kawakami and the others called him Han-san when greeting Zhang Han. "San" was a respectful form of address used by juniors to seniors. "Kun" was a form of address used between peers.
Zhang Han's two juniors had probably started looking up to him since their first year in Matsukata. After entering high school, Zhang Han's halo increased by several more layers. Their respect for him continued.
Ultimately, all of this was brought about by his strength. It was precisely because Zhang Han had sufficiently outstanding performance and dazzling achievements that he was able to win the respect of so many people. Even if he didn't do anything special on a daily basis, this influence still naturally emerged.
At the same time, in Coach Kataoka's office, Yuuki, the captain who had received the news, was discussing with his coach.
"Holding the freshman welcome game so soon, for the freshmen..."
Yuuki was fighting for opportunities for the third-year players and also for time for the first-year players. As the captain, he couldn't favor players of his own year. This match was too early and too sudden.
Especially notifying the freshmen one day in advance; it was simply a trap. Last year's freshman welcome game was a bit of a mess because of this advance notice. Aside from Zhang Han, not a single decent player was selected. Would this year's players perform better than their predecessors when faced with the same situation?
Perhaps, like their predecessors, they wouldn't be able to sleep all night.
For this kind of freshman welcome game, it was best to notify them a few days in advance so that the players could make full preparations. Notifying them one day in advance was even worse than announcing it directly on the day of the game. Although the players would still be nervous, at least they could get a good night's sleep and conserve their energy.
"Our First string doesn't need players who can't perform to their full potential because of nervousness. Only truly determined individuals can help our baseball team advance further!"
The First string had a total of twenty spots, and there were over a hundred players from all three grades of the baseball team combined. Moreover, most of these players had already gone through a round of screening when they enrolled. Frankly speaking, most of them were selected elites. When it came to talent, every player had some to a greater or lesser extent.
Coach Kataoka believed that simply looking at these things was not as good as looking at the test reports submitted by Ota and the others. It simply had no meaning. Only newcomers who could still perform stably in adversity were what they needed.
Compared to previous years, Seido High School Baseball Team's reputation had soared after reaching the Koshien quarterfinals last summer. Therefore, among the players they recruited, there were many very strong newcomers.
It was said that there were also a few who were not very famous before but began to show their talent after joining the team. Compared to the previous two years, Seido's recruitment this year was undoubtedly a great harvest.
Both Ota and the coaches were very optimistic about the freshmen. Even Kataoka was no exception; he was also very much looking forward to their performance.
However, despite his anticipation, he would not show favoritism towards the freshmen just because they had just enrolled. In the freshman welcome game, Kataoka would only value those players who truly achieved results. And everything he did served this purpose.
After hearing Coach Kataoka's thoughts, Captain Yuuki said nothing more. It wasn't his idea to come in the first place; he had been instigated by his companions. Now that the coach's mind was made up, they could only wish those third-year companions and freshman players good luck.
The matter of the freshman welcome game was thus decided.
On the surface, this matter had nothing to do with the First string. Who would have thought that after the finals, more than five players from the First string would also participate in this game? This was the most classic freshman welcome game since the establishment of Seido High School Baseball Team.
Speaking of classic, it wasn't about how unexpected the outcome was, how intense the process was, or how excellent the newcomers' performances were.
The classic aspect of this game lay in the sheer number of unexpected events and the multitude of players who emerged. Several of Seido High School Baseball Team's future main players began to emerge from this game.
The night passed without incident.
When they woke up the next day, except for the naive Sawamura, the other first-year players, as expected, had dark circles under their eyes. Apparently, most of them didn't sleep well last night.
As for Sawamura, according to Kuramochi, he was so focused on practicing running that he didn't even know about the freshman welcome game. He really was a big oddball.
The second team consisted of second and third-year players. Although they were also nervous, they were significantly calmer than the first-year freshmen. Every one of them, if not radiant, was at least full of fighting spirit.
The First string players didn't have time to watch the excitement at this point, as they also had a big battle to fight today. Initially, when Coach Ochiai heard about the freshman welcome game, he thought it would be held simultaneously with the finals.
However, Coach Kataoka didn't arrange it that way. The second team, third team, and the first-year freshmen all went to cheer for the players as usual.
This time, even Sawamura was no exception. It should be known that Sawamura used to stay behind to train by himself, but this time Coach Kataoka specifically called his name and told him to go watch the game with the others.
The young man was still a bit reluctant, pouting all the way. So much so that the people around him doubted his intelligence. Couldn't he see that this was a goodwill signal from Coach Kataoka?
If he didn't seize the time to apologize, did he still want to play in the freshman welcome game?
Fortunately, this player also had two friends he got along with fairly well. Under Jinguuji's earnest persuasion, Sawamura finally went to apologize to Kataoka.
Coach Kataoka very magnanimously forgave him. Kataoka told Sawamura to watch the game carefully, that he should be able to learn a lot, and that he might need it very soon.
With such a clear hint, this player still looked as if he knew nothing.
As the bus pulled up to Jingu Stadium, Zhang Han happened to see two people getting off the Ichidai Third High School bus.
Hoshida and Miyakawa.
His companions with whom he had shared a locker room back then.
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