Chapter 3
On Monday, Jo’s dad dropped her off at the City Park baseball fields. As they pulled up, she spotted Delia and a couple of other girls from school standing near one of the diamonds.
Jo quickly jumped out of the car and started to jog across the grass to join them.
“Jo!” her dad called after her. “Forgetting something?” He laughed and waved her glove out the window.
Jo shook her head and ran back to retrieve it. “Whoops!” she said.
“Good luck, honey,” her dad said, handing her the glove. “And have fun!”
As her dad drove away, Jo turned back to the fields. More girls had gathered around a tall woman wearing a baseball hat and a yellow jacket.
When she reached the group, Jo saw a big box of yellow T-shirts sitting on the grass. “Are those our team uniforms?” she asked.
The woman in the baseball hat smiled at her. “Yes,” she said, “but let’s wait for everyone to get here before handing them out. I’m Coach Johnson. What’s your name?”
“Jo Adler,” Jo replied.
The coach made a checkmark on the clipboard she was holding. “Welcome, Jo,” she said. “You played with the league last year, right?”
Jo nodded. “I was center fielder for the Green Hornets. I’d really like to move to the infield this year, though,” she said.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” the coach told her, smiling and making a note.
A few more girls walked up, and the coach moved away to take down their names.
“Okay!” Coach Johnson announced a moment later. “If I could have everyone’s attention, please. I think we’re all here, so welcome to the Yellow Sonics!”
Everyone clapped. “Yay!” a couple of girls shouted.
Jo raised her hand. “Do we have our schedule yet?” she asked.
“We’ll have practice every Monday, and every Wednesday will be game day,” Coach Johnson replied with a smile. “Any other questions?”
Nobody said anything, so the coach picked up a big box and started handing out shirts. The words “Yellow Sonics” were printed across the front of the T-shirts. Al’s Hardware, the local business sponsoring their team this year, was written across the back.
“It’s time to play ball! We’ll start with some warm-ups,” the coach said. “Then we’ll move into fielding exercises. I’ll assign positions after I’ve had a chance to see everyone play.”
Jo pulled her T-shirt on over the tank top she’d been wearing and headed out toward the middle of the field. She and Delia tossed a ball back and forth for a few minutes to warm up.
“Let’s practice fielding,” Coach Johnson called from her position near home plate. She picked up a bat and began hitting balls into the outfield.
Jo was determined to make a good impression. Every time a ball came toward her, she hustled after it. She snagged fly balls out of the air and kept her glove low to the ground to scoop up ground balls.
After thirty minutes of fielding practice, Coach Johnson called, “Bring it in, girls! Everybody gather around to hear your positions.”
Coach Johnson started reading off positions. “Jo Adler, second base,” she said.
Jo grinned happily. Second base was a great position.
“Delia Jones, right field,” the coach continued.
Jo heard Delia sigh. Right field was a little boring, since few balls ended up getting hit there.
Jo caught up to her friend as they walked toward the parking lot. “Don’t worry, Delia,” she said. “I’ll practice with you anytime you want! You won’t be in right field forever.”
“Thanks, Jo,” Delia said, perking up a little. “Today was fun either way.”
“Yeah!” Jo said, bumping Delia with her hip. “And we’re just getting started.”