Page 77 of The Way We Swing Back

“A partial scholarship just opened; one player I thought would join our program is going pro instead. We’re late in the process, so I’m scrambling a bit, but it’s yours if you want it.”

“Wow. I’ll call her tomorrow. I truly appreciate this, Coach,” I said. What else could I possibly say?

He reached his hand out again, and we shook. “Good luck the rest of the tournament, Easton,” he said as he turned away.

“Hey, Coach,” I said before he left the dugout. “Tanner’s brother Gavin played well today, too, didn’t he? Maybe keep him on your radar.”

Coach Anderson turned and ran his hands through his hair. “I can’t talk to Gavin yet because of NCAA rules, and by the time I can, there’s a decent chance he won’t be thinking of what college to attend.”

He left after that, leaving Tanner and me in the dugout. I walked over and wrapped him in a hug, the first real one I’d given him in years.

So many times, I’d given up on myself. Wondered if baseball was finished with me. Tanner hadn’t.

“Dude,” I said as I broke away, finding a seat on the bench.

“Dude,” he replied, sitting next to me.

We sat in silence for a second; I knew we had to leave to get on the bus, but Tanner had likely given Coach Berrios a heads-up on what was happening.

“You didn’t have to do that for me.”

“Yeah. I did. Always will, too.”

My mind jumped sharply, processing the last thing Coach Anderson had said. “What did he mean about Gavin?” I asked, piecing it together, my mind tumbling over the realization of what his words meant.

“Maybe that he’s going to get drafted,” Tanner said, shock spreading across his face as well.

“Is that even possible?”

Tanner's head started to bob, processing the comment. “Think about it. He’s got the best of all of us. You’ve built his swing for years now. Zach hasn’t let him skip a day at the gym in a year.”

I added, “And he’s been watching your baseball mind work since he was five.”

“Whoa.”

“Yeah, whoa.”

Gavin in a major league uniform. It sounded ridiculous—until I pictured his swing. And heard the sound he’d made when he’d hit his home run today.

“I guess I never realized he’d gotten so good. It just kind of happened,” he said. “But wouldn’t that be cool? You playing at Missouri. Me coaching. Gavin getting drafted.”

“Feels like a dream.” I looked at the empty field, as I had so many times last year, wanting to pitch, to run, to hit, but instead having nothing more than a pencil and score book to play with. Now Missouri was calling.

Zach came into the dugout, telling us the bus was ready to go, breaking me away from a moment I never wanted to leave.

My mood didn’t falter all night. There had been times I’d thought I didn’t deserve this: the family, the baseball future, and the possibilities that came with it. But when Coach Anderson had shaken my hand, it’d felt like the baseball gods saying, “You’ve earned this.” And, looking back at everything I’d been through, I thought I had.

We still had business to take care of this season, though. The state title was still on the table.

Chapter 34

My hands dug into the side of the kitchen table, sweat slicking my palms against the wood, the whole family staring at me while I tried to explain what I was thinking.

“You guys are sure about this?”

Mrs. Quinn nodded. “There’s no reason to sublet the room in Tanner’s apartment if you’re going to Missouri, too.”

“I’ll pay you back after college,” I said. Really, it was the least I could do. Coach Anderson had called yesterday, confirming that he’d been able to push me through the application process.