The coach enthusiastically grasped his hand, shaking it a few times. "Welcome, welcome. Come and sign in over here, you're still a little early. Once more of the athletes arrive, we'll head over to the next spot."
"Okay no problem." Ken said, heading over to the desk nearby.
Coach Reynolds wore a big grin, the wrinkles prevalent on his face.
He was soon approached by another man wearing a similar attire, but many years younger. "Is that the new recruit you've been yapping about the past few months?" He asked curiously.
"Heh, yep. The kid is special." Coach Reynolds replied matter-of-factly.
The man looked at Ken up and down, but he couldn't see anything too impressive. "Are you sure he'll be able to make the jump to College ball?"
"Look Brett, I've been a pitching coach for almost 40 years. I can tell you, I've never met a High Schooler who can do what this kid can do. Never." The old man was serious, his earlier smile now gone.
Brett was slightly taken aback, but he nodded in the next moment, placing a hand on the older man's shoulder. "Jim, I trust you, so we'll leave it at that. Just make sure you call me Coach when we're in front of the players next time." He said with a wry smile.
"Ah, sorry Coach…"
"It's fine, you'll get used to it soon enough. After all, it's only my first year as Head Coach." Brett said. "I'll go introduce myself to this golden boy of yours."
Brett made his way over to Ken who was currently hunched over, filling in some paperwork. He tapped him on the shoulder, only for his eyes to widen as Ken stood up straight and turned.
"K-Ken is it? I'm Coach Brown, it's nice to meet you."
"Ah, Coach Brown!" Ken quickly placed his pen down and faced the man respectfully, "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Better late than never." The coach replied cheerily. "Coach Reynolds says you've got a golden arm, I'm excited to see you out on the field."
"Thank you coach, I'm looking forward to it."
"Okay, I just wanted to introduce myself. I'll let you get back to your paperwork." Coach Brown said, excusing himself.
Ken tried to calm his heart a little before turning his attention back to the sign in sheet. He hadn't expected the Head Coach to appear out of nowhere like that. If there was one person he needed to impress, it was that man.
He was the sole person who would dictate how much playing time Ken would get on the field. Leaving a good impression was the easiest way to guarantee time on the mound.
After waiting around 15 minutes, more and more athletes arrived to sign in. It was only when he saw the kind of people arriving that Ken realized that it was not just athletes from baseball that were coming.
He saw people with all kinds of body types, as well as girls enter as well.
"Alright guys, follow me." One of the staff called out, directing everyone down the hall to an auditorium. Ken found a seat and waited patiently for everyone else to file in.
The meeting turned out to be about the NCAA rules for all sports. It discussed the eligibility requirements, team conduct expectations and punishments for failing to adhere to them. This also included scholarship obligations and regulations.
Ken had already done his research prior, so things were pretty straight forward.
After this, everyone was funneled out of the room and taken to Lerner Hall. When they arrived, Ken could already see so many people lining up, likely for the same thing as him.
Upon arriving inside, they were led to a large auditorium with 3 sections of seating. Ken managed to snag one of the seats closer to the stage, much to the disappointment of the person who would be forced to sit behind his tall frame.
What took place next was what they called a welcome session, held by the college leadership. They detailed some of the things freshman could expect in their first year on campus.
Surprisingly, Ken's name was announced as part of the student-athlete scholarship holders, receiving a small round of applause. Thankfully, he was not made to go on stage or anything, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
By the end of the hour session, he was rather exhausted. Unfortunately, the day was nowhere near finished.
"Baseball team, with me." Coach Reynolds was at the exit of Lerner hall and ushered over a few people out of the crowd. Ken found himself standing with another 6 people whom he hadn't met before.
But before he could get a gauge on them, Coach Reynolds was already whisking them away.
"We're off to meet the coaching staff and the other players on the team, so put on your best smiles and move those legs, we haven't got much time." He said, power walking back the way they had come.
For an old man, his legs were certainly powerful, almost leaving the young ones behind as he powered forward. Ken was able to keep up with his long limbs, but not everyone had an easy time.
The pace made it so that none of the players were able to interact with each other, not that Ken would have been the one to make the first move.
They were taken back to the Dodge Fitness Center and pulled into one of the meeting rooms. Ken saw around 30 people as he entered the room, most of which turning their gazes on him.
He shuffled awkwardly for a few moments before Coach Reynolds decided to make some introductions.
"Listen up. These are your new teammates starting today, make sure they feel welcomed." He said, addressing the players.
As Ken glanced around the room, he could feel a distinct difference from all the players he'd played with before. These guys meant business; Not only were they bigger and stronger, their attitudes were also vastly different from the High School players he used to play with.
'It looks like I'm in the right place…' Ken thought, a small grin creeping onto his face.