Yet as it stood, Leo was fouling off every single pitch. It was not on purpose though, he could see as much. The speed of each pitch was at least 100mph and it was all that Leo could do to not get struck out.
Finally, an inside pitch was sent high into the air past the foul line on the left side of the field. Leo had already returned to the plate to get ready for the next pitch, but he would never get to face the next ball.
Ivor saw the Japanese player dive into the stands, putting his body on the line to catch the ball. It wasn't until the umpire called an end to the ball game that the players on the field finally reacted.
As they rushed to celebrate, Leo stood in the batters box in shock.
"So this is why…" Ivor mumbled to himself. While he should feel bad for the kid, it was quite the opposite. "He will get much better now… He might even become the best."
So once Leo officially enrolled at UF, Coach Rodgers focused all of his attention on the genius. After his defeat, he was far more receptive to being trained and guided, becoming a sponge for knowledge.
He was by far the best player on the team by midway through his freshman year and had replaced the senior catcher after the first few games. Once his abilities were shown, no one second guessed the guy and he soon took over the reins as Captain in his sophomore year.
From then on he only got better, both physically and mentally. They won the College World series in the 2nd year since Leo arrived, but fell short the year after.
In his Junior year, Coach Rodgers asked if he was going to leave school to enter the Major League to which Leo surprisingly declined.
"I will be remaining for my final year of college so I can graduate." Leo replied, though it felt like he wasn't telling the whole truth.
Ivor sighed, "You have learned everything I could have taught you Leo. Do not hold yourself back because of me." He said, feeling a sense of warmth.
Leo shook his head, "My mind is made up. I will remain for my Senior year and get you another trophy before I move onto the big league."
Even now, Coach Rodgers looked back at the interaction fondly. Kids like Leo was the real reason he turned down the opportunities to coach Major League teams, but it seemed that even he had reached his limit.
'This will be my final year as UF coach. I have enough money to retire if I want to.' He thought to himself.
"Coach? Is everything alright?" Justin who was at the front of the meeting room asked, bringing the man back to the present.
"Ahem, sorry about that." He said, clearing his throat. "You all played well this game. Our offense did well to capitalize on the poor pitching, and our defense was superb. Overall, I'd give us an A minus."
"Coach isn't that a little harsh…" Trayshaun replied, eliciting a chuckle from the team.
"I'm saying this so you don't get complacent." Ivor replied seriously. "Don't go thinking that this series is over because we won the first game. The Bobcats have yet to use their best pitcher." He stated.
"And before you argue with me that it won't make much of a difference, allow me to prove you wrong." He said, pointing to one of his staff members.
The man nodded and turned on the projector, bringing up a data set.
Coach Rodgers moved to the side allowing the team to see the projection. "These are a list of games in which Ken Takagi has pitched 5 or more innings. The one's in green are the games they've won, the red are games they've lost."
There was a few moments silence before Trayshaun replied, "Coach, there aren't any red."
"Exactly!" Ivor said, slamming the table in front of him emphatically. "Every single game that Ken Takagi pitches in, the Bobcats are nigh unstoppable."
He pointed to his assistant once again and the slide changed.
"Here are a list of games that he has pitched 3 or more innings."
Everyone turned their attention to the slide and felt a wave of discomfort. There was only a single game on the list that was colored red, the rest were green. Just based on the data alone, it was clear that when Ken pitched, the Bobcats were at their best.
"Now you know why I warned you not to be complacent. While I often say that baseball is a team sport, it is players like Ken Takagi that can sway the Goddess of Victory in his favor. Whenever he is on the mound, his team gets much better." Coach Rodgers stated, his eyes scanning his players.
"I am not saying that we need to fear this guy, but I will not allow anyone to underestimate our opponent, not when we have all this data. As long as we play our game, I believe that we can win." He said, his eyes moving to Leo.
Leo nodded, his expression serious. Without prompting, he stood up and addressed the team. "I have said this before but I will say it again. Ken is the best pitcher I have played against. When you step into the batters box against him, it's like walking into a coliseum. You must do everything you can to survive against the onslaught, otherwise you will be swiftly defeated."
His words washed over the players, creating a serious atmosphere. Hearing their best player and Captain utter such words was cause enough for concern. Whatever complacency that had been lingering after such a dominant game earlier had vanished, replaced by a wariness and determination.
Ivor nodded at Leo, happy with his words. "Leo is right. But as long as you come armed and prepared, we will win the war."
"Now, let's go over today's film and then you'll be free the rest of the night." He said, pointing to the assistant once more.