Every high school baseball player has, at most, five opportunities to reach Koshien—it all depends on whether they can seize them.
In Japan, the new school year begins in April.
Spring Koshien is held in March, while Summer Koshien takes place in August.
That means first-year students enter high school only after Spring Koshien has already ended. Since they have only just enrolled, they haven't had enough time to train or earn a place on the roster.
As a result, first-year players cannot participate in Spring Koshien immediately after entering high school.
The Autumn Tournament, however, is different. It is contested entirely by first and second-year players. By the time Spring Koshien arrives, those same players have become second and third-years.
In other words, throughout a player's high school career, there are only five possible chances to reach Koshien.
Two Spring Koshien tournaments and three Summer Koshien tournaments—assuming the team qualifies every time.
"Hmm..."
Sitting off to the side, Ushijima Wakatoshi stared thoughtfully at his phone.
"What is it?" Shirasu asked after noticing his unusual expression.
Without looking up, Ushijima rested his chin on one hand.
"Our game against Teito is on October 2nd, right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Then over the next few days, all of the pitchers need special training."
He paused before adding,
"Myself included."
"What kind of training?" Miyuki asked curiously.
"Let's gather Kawakami, Furuya, Sawamura, and all the catchers. We'll meet in the bullpen."
"I'll explain once we get there."
With that, Ushijima stood up.
After leaving the dormitory cafeteria, everyone headed straight to the bullpen beside the practice field.
"Furuya! Sawamura! Kawakami! Get to the bullpen! Ushijima has something for everyone!"
At Miyuki's shout, Furuya and Sawamura immediately stopped collecting baseballs.
Kawakami, who had been doing conditioning runs nearby, also jogged over.
Even Ono Hiro, one of Seido's reserve catchers, joined the group.
Curious about what was happening, Coach Kataoka, the club president, and several staff members also came to watch.
"I thought there was supposed to be a meeting. Where's that idiot Ushijima?" Sawamura grumbled.
No one expected manners from Sawamura.
He was the type who even called Coach Kataoka "Boss."
Expecting proper etiquette from him was hopeless.
"I don't know," Miyuki replied while fastening his catcher's gear. "He said he was preparing something."
Just then, Ushijima walked into the bullpen carrying a large plastic bucket.
Everyone looked at him in confusion.
"The three of you start your bullpen session."
He tossed more than a dozen baseballs into the bucket before filling it with water.
"You'll be pitching with these."
The players blinked.
"What?"
"Why are you soaking the baseballs?" Sawamura asked in bewilderment.
Before Ushijima could answer, Miyuki had already figured it out.
"Idiot."
"Haven't you checked the weather forecast?"
"Heavy rain is expected on September 29th, and October 2nd is also forecast to be rainy."
"Our game against Teito is on October 2nd."
"The forecast says the rain might stop, but nobody knows when."
"If it doesn't clear until the evening, we'll be playing in wet conditions."
He picked up one of the soaked baseballs.
"When baseballs get wet, they become slippery."
"That makes them much harder for pitchers to control."
Ushijima nodded.
"So I'm having everyone practise with water-soaked baseballs."
"Get used to the grip now, learn how the ball behaves, and adjust before game day."
His explanation left Sawamura, Furuya, and the others stunned.
Outside the bullpen, Coach Kataoka silently nodded in approval.
Planning ahead based on the weather forecast...
That was exactly the kind of preparation expected from an ace.
A true ace didn't simply rely on talent.
He anticipated every possible variable and prepared for it before it became a problem.
"So that's what this is about."
Sawamura nodded repeatedly, acting as though he had understood it all along.
"Enough talking," Ushijima said.
"Start pitching."
"But don't leave the baseballs soaking for too long. We still need to use them afterward."
He picked up another ball himself.
"I need the practice too."
"You do?" everyone asked in surprise.
"I've practised batting in the rain."
"I've trained in the rain."
"But..."
"I've never actually pitched in rainy conditions before."
Everyone suddenly understood.
Even Ushijima had his weaknesses.
"Then it's even more important to get familiar with it beforehand," Coach Kataoka agreed.
"Extra preparation never hurts."
With the coach's approval, two more catchers were called over to receive pitches while the four pitchers began their special training.
Ushijima picked up a soaked baseball and stepped onto the mound.
The moment he released his first pitch, his expression changed.
Something felt completely different.
Normally, he could locate a 145 km/h fastball exactly where Miyuki wanted it.
This time, he aimed for the low outside corner.
Instead...
The pitch sailed well off target.
"...Huh?"
Even Ushijima stared at the result in disbelief.
The catchers exchanged helpless glances.
Furuya and Sawamura weren't doing much better.
Their pitches were missing badly as well.
Only Kawakami looked relatively comfortable.
Having pitched in rainy conditions before, he already knew how to compensate for the slippery grip.
His control remained remarkably steady.
Even Seido's ace was struggling.
"This isn't good."
After throwing a dozen pitches, Ushijima couldn't help but frown.
"How bad is it?" Miyuki asked.
"Fourteen pitches."
"Not one hit the exact target."
He grabbed another ball and threw again.
The instant it left his fingertips, the strange feeling returned.
The grip.
The release.
The rotation.
Everything was different.
Thankfully, they had discovered the problem during practice.
If this had happened for the first time in an official game, Seido could have found itself in serious trouble.
Whoosh!
Thwack!
The catcher received the pitch cleanly.
But it finished well outside the strike zone.
The miss wasn't even close.
Ushijima continued pitching.
Little by little, he began adjusting to the feel of the wet baseball.
The first thirty pitches were a disaster.
After forty or so, however, he finally started finding a rhythm.
Even then, there was a price.
To regain his control, he had to reduce his velocity.
Instead of consistently reaching 145 km/h, his fastball now hovered just above 140 km/h.
A loss of only four or five kilometres per hour might not sound significant.
In baseball...
It was a noticeable difference.
Even so, Ushijima continued throwing pitch after pitch, steadily adapting to the wet conditions.
Compared to him, however...
Furuya's situation was far worse.
Among the four pitchers, Kawakami adapted the best.
Sawamura ranked second.
Ushijima came third.
Furuya finished last by a considerable margin.
The reason was simple.
Both Ushijima and Furuya relied heavily on overpowering fastballs.
The higher the velocity, the more difficult it became to maintain precise control.
With a wet baseball, that difficulty increased dramatically.
Sawamura's fastball averaged around 135 km/h, allowing him to adjust much more easily.
Ushijima, who regularly threw above 140 km/h, naturally struggled more.
As for Kawakami...
His control in the rain was even better than Ushijima's.
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