In Omi's cafeteria.

After Arima Rō and Nishino Tetsu ordered a piece of ramen each, they found a place to sit down and chat while eating. Mainly Arima Rō was talking and Nishino Tetsu was listening.

"The ball matching is based on data and combines the balls that the pitcher will throw. This is a theoretical model."

Arima Ryo was talking eloquently, while Nishino Tetsu listened attentively.

"There are many factors to consider in actual situations."

"The condition of the pitcher that day, the target ball the other team wants to hit, the situation of the hitter, etc. must all be taken into consideration."

Tetsu Nishino nodded frequently and agreed very much with what Ryo Arima said. It is true that during a game, there are too many factors that affect the result of pitching.

Runners, number of strikes, number of strikes, number of innings, point differential...

Every condition and situation is changing at all times, affecting the situation on the field, and the catcher has to make a decision in just a few seconds. You can imagine how difficult it is.

After finishing the noodles in the bowl, Arima Ryo continued to share his experience and understanding.

"And we have to appease the pitcher." When he said this, Arima Ryo felt a little helpless.

Even though Omi has four pitchers, they look very good. In fact, this is just because Omi does not have an absolute Ace.

It is a tradition in high school baseball that the ace pitcher completes the pitch.

Although many high schools are now beginning to adopt the strategy of actively re-investing, they still focus on aces. As long as Ace can still vote, they will not switch easily.

Omi's strategy is for four pitchers to take turns pitching, which is also a big test for Ryo Arima.

In a game, as a catcher, he has to guide a group of pitchers with different styles, but it takes a lot of thought.

"Senior, what do you mean by the pitcher's missed shots?"

"Well, this is difficult to avoid in competition. It's mainly a matter of mentality."

Ryo Arima explained to Tetsu Nishino that official games and practice games can be said to be completely different games, and the performance of pitchers in official games is unpredictable.

Especially high school pitchers.

A person stands on the pitcher's mound and is under pressure from all around. A person with an unstable mentality will collapse at any time, and his pitching state will disappear at any time.

It is normal for high school pitchers to have unstable ball control.

But when it is obvious that the pitcher can no longer pitch into the strike zone, he must either change pitches or appease the pitcher.

"But it's difficult, isn't it?"

Tetsu Nishino feels that after most pitchers miss a pitch, their condition will only get worse and worse. It is rare for the pitcher to recover after a few words of comfort from the catcher.

Arima Ryo also knows that it is difficult, but if his pitcher is replaced, the catcher will still blame himself.

"So at that time, you have to match the ball that the pitcher can accept. You can only follow the pitcher and match the pitch so that the pitcher doesn't shake his head."

"Seniors will also be shaken at those times?"

"Of course. Pitchers are not just tools. They also have their own ideas. Catchers can't force pitchers to throw."

Tetsu Nishino felt deeply after listening to it, although he always felt distrustful when the pitcher shook his head and refused to serve.

But if you think about it from another perspective, the pitcher is the one who knows his own situation best, so he has reason to deny the catcher's distribution.

"Did Senior Lin ever shake his head at Senior?" Tetsu Nishino was a little curious.

"Lin? I have very few impressions of him. I quite like to form a shooting and catching combination with a ball-control pitcher like him."

Arima Ryo was answering when Lin Yushu happened to pass by.

"Huh? Why did I hear someone calling me?"

Lin Youshu was holding a cup of chocolate ice cream in his hand and was happily looking for a place to enjoy the dessert. When he heard someone seemed to be discussing him, he raised his head and looked around.

Arima Ryo quickly asked Nishino Tetsu to lower his head and pretend that nothing happened.

Lin Youshu didn't look any further and started eating the chocolate ice cream that he liked very much, "Well, it's super... super delicious."

A look of happiness and contentment.

"Fortunately..." Arima Ryo held his forehead, "Don't forget that Lin is very serious when pitching, but he is very happy in private. It's so noisy."

Arima Ryo feels helpless sometimes. For a person with a calm personality, it is really troublesome to get along with a pitcher who talks a lot in private and is always making noises.

"I understand, senior..." Tetsu Nishino understood.

Yushu Hayashi is small, handsome and even a little childish. Tetsu Nishino thought he was a shy person at first.

Unexpectedly, it was completely the opposite. Lin Youshu was a familiar person in private and could happily chat with others for a long time. It was conceivable that Ma Liang would never be able to calm down when he was with him.

On the Hakusan pitching staff, Kazuya Nishino is also a very happy pitcher. He teaches Nishino Tetsu every day, so he is often forced into the pit and wastes his great youth.

"well......"

Arima Ryo and Nishino Tetsu looked at each other, reading the sadness and pain in each other's eyes, and sighed.

.....................

In the afternoon, everyone in Baishan thanked Omi High School for the hospitality and got on the return train.

Sitting in the car, Tetsu Nishino recalled that when he was leaving, he and Ryo Arima were exchanging contact information, preparing to exchange catching experiences when they had the opportunity in the future.

Unexpectedly, after Lin Yushu found out, he forced Nishino Tetsu to add his Line, saying that he would definitely win it back next time, something that Nishino Tetsu couldn't understand.

How interesting.

The corner of Nishino Tetsu's mouth raised in an arc.

"Azhe, why are you laughing?"

"Eh? Did I laugh? No?"

"Even if you do, I've seen it. Why do you feel so happy?"

Nishino Kazuya became unhappy. Previously, Nishino Tetsu had vowed that he didn't care about any expedition, and even said dismissively that it was the same for any opponent.

Now it seems that Tetsu Nishino is completely shaken. And he is shaken happily, for sure.

"Am I being so obvious?"

Nishino Tetsu pinched his face with his hands. It turned out that he was a happy person, but this was not good. If the person being beaten could see what he was thinking, he would not be able to match the ball.

"I must be happy to win against Omi High School. That is a famous school that played 12 times in Koshien in the summer."

"is that so......"

Kazuya Nishino was hesitant, but finally chose to trust Tetsu Nishino.

After all, this game at Omi High School was really difficult to play. There were several points crises, and Nishino Tetsu spent a lot of energy to defend them with everyone.

After winning against Omi High School, it's normal for Tetsu Nishino to be happy.

It was almost evening after returning to Baishan.

Tetsu Nishino and Aoi Moriyama walked on the way home together. From that day on, Tetsu Nishino walked with Aoi Moriyama almost every day, and it seemed that he was getting used to it.

In this early summer time, in the distant horizon is the sun that still has its lingering power. The heat in the air makes Nishino Tetsuo sweat slightly, and he can't help but say.

"Senior Aoi, summer is here."

"Well...summer is here."
Chapter completed!