Mentally Tough

The Pre, Pre-Game

RIIIIIING!

Finally, the school day is over at Oak High. That sound to my ears is divine even though it sounds as if the bell is screaming for you to get out of the building. To most of the people at the highschool, that sound is the best sound of the day. They get to go home, relax, hang with their friends, do their homework, or just power nap for the rest of the day. To me, that sound brings joy to my ears during the spring time because of one thing. Baseball. I am a baseball nerd. Baseball has reached out to me since I was a wee little boy. I was always around the game, whether it was on tv, at the stadium, or at my family gathering were I would just grab a wiffle ball bat and hit the gumballs off the ground. I have been working towards this moment during the winter. It was opening day and i was told that I would get the pearl. I was eager and nervous at the same time. I wanted to prove the coaches that they were right to start me and I wanted to impress the girla that were watching. I walk down to the locker room to put on my uniform, but some of the other players had beat me down there. We all were multitasking, and by that I mean we were listening to trap music while putting on our jerseys. Some of the boys did dance but I decided to just get ready in the corner quietly so I could get in the zone. After we "trapped out" to the music, we headed upstairs and packed our equipment onto the bus. We had to be fast because the coaches were stern and would leave you behind if they had the chance. We all made our way on to the bus. We got some snacks, chips and Gatorade, and settled down into our seats. One of my teammates brought a portable speaker on the bus and played some Fetty Wap. I brought my headphones so I could ease into the game. I popped on some songs that would pump me up but wouldn't distract me. After pressing play, I thought about my approch to oppose the hitters I was going to face.
Get ahead in the count.
Aim for 4 pitches an at-bat.
Throw offspeed pitches when neccessary.
Don't let a runner get to second base.
After that, I cleared my mind of all of the distractions that would challenge me mentally. My mind was blank. It was a tank of pure concentration. It was game time.