Progress and Breakthroughs

True to their word, Coach Talbot and Big Mac put Logan through daily training that would make even a seasoned player sweat. Every dawn, Logan dragged himself out of bed and met Big Mac at the field. In the pale morning light, they ran laps until Logan's legs felt like jelly. Big Mac never cut him any slack.

"One more lap, Carter! You gonna let a little jog beat you?" Big Mac would shout, pacing him from the infield grass.

Logan would groan under his breath and push himself to keep going, determined to build his endurance. With each passing day, the laps came a bit easier and Logan found he could run farther without feeling like his lungs were on fire.

After school, Logan dove straight into fielding drills. Big Mac would stand at home plate, tirelessly hitting grounder after grounder as Logan practiced scooping them up. At first, Logan fumbled almost every other ball, but gradually the muscle memory kicked in. One afternoon, Big Mac smacked a sharp grounder toward second base. Logan charged it, got his glove down just in time, and the ball stuck in the webbing.

"Got it!" Logan exclaimed in surprise.

He momentarily forgot the next step, just standing there grinning with the ball in his glove. Big Mac clapped a hand to his forehead from across the field.

"Throw it, kid, throw it!" he barked, half-laughing.

Startled, Logan snapped out of it and hurled the ball to first base. By now, the imaginary runner would have been safe by a mile, but still—Logan had made the play. Big Mac walked over, shaking his head with a grin.

"At least you caught it this time," Big Mac teased, tossing another ball into his glove. "Next time, remember—don't celebrate until after you make the out."

Logan nodded vigorously, a bit embarrassed but proud that he'd even gotten the catch. Progress was progress.

In the evenings, Logan's friend and teammate Drew came over with a notebook full of scribbled baseball diagrams and a tablet loaded with game footage. They'd sprawl out on Logan's living room floor for film sessions, munching on pretzels while Drew quizzed him on strategies.

"Alright, bases loaded, one out," Drew said one night, pausing a video clip on a freeze-frame of an infield. "Ball is hit to you at shortstop. What's the play?"

Logan furrowed his brow, picturing the scenario. "Uh… toss it to second base for one out, then try for first for a double play," he answered.

Drew broke into a grin. "Yes! Exactly. Two outs for the price of one." They high-fived enthusiastically.

Drew even made flashcard study guides with different game situations drawn in stick figures. One card showed a little stick-figure Logan throwing the ball to the wrong base with a big red "X" over it; the next card showed the correct throw with a green check mark. Logan found it hilarious and helpful. He flipped through the hand-drawn cards, shaking his head with a laugh. "Who knew I'd be doing homework for baseball?" he quipped.

Drew chuckled. "Hey, whatever helps you not be 'Wrong-Way' anymore."

Bit by bit, all the extra work began to pay off. During one scrimmage at practice, a batter cracked a line drive straight toward second base. Logan, now playing second, felt his body react before his mind could think—those countless drills had sharpened his instincts. He darted to his left and snagged the ball on a short hop. Without panicking (and without using his head this time!), Logan flipped the ball to the shortstop covering second base, then hustled over toward first. The shortstop fired to first for a textbook double play. The whole sequence was so smooth and fast that for a second, everyone on the field just blinked in surprise.

"Did you guys see that? Logan turned two!" one teammate yelled, breaking the silence.

Another teammate clapped Logan on the back in excitement. "Where's Wrong-Way Logan and what have you done with him?" he joked.

Logan beamed with pride, a little out of breath. "He's on vacation," he quipped, chest puffed out. "I'm Right-Way Logan now."

The team howled at that, the old nickname officially flipped into a badge of honor. Logan couldn't stop grinning. It was a small victory in a practice game, but it felt huge.

Of course, not every day brought a dramatic breakthrough. Some days, Logan was so exhausted that his brain felt fuzzy and he still made the occasional goofy mistake. One evening, after a brutal morning workout, he did accidentally start to trot toward third base after smacking a base hit in practice. He got maybe five steps before realizing and doubling back to sprint toward first instead. By then a chorus of laughter was rising from the dugout. Logan smacked his forehead mid-run and hollered, "Just keeping you all entertained!" even as he corrected course. Even Coach Talbot had to hide a grin behind his clipboard at that one.

More often than not though, Logan was noticeably improving. His throws grew more accurate, his catches more reliable. Big Mac started hitting balls even harder during drills, trying to test Logan's limits. One late afternoon, Big Mac sent a screaming line drive right at Logan's face. Out of reflex, Logan threw up his glove and snagged it before it could take his head off. He stood there stunned, the ball snow-coned in the top of his glove.

"I'd call that self-defense more than a catch!" whooped one of the outfielders, and the team burst out laughing in relief.

Logan let out a long breath, then took a theatrical bow. "Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week," he joked, shaking a little from the adrenaline rush.

Through all the laughter and long hours, a real change was happening in Logan. He was gaining confidence. The fundamentals that once felt so confusing were becoming second nature. Coach Talbot began to notice too, giving Logan a firm nod or a quick "Good hustle, Carter," during drills. That little bit of acknowledgment meant the world to Logan and pushed him to work even harder. Drew's study sessions became a highlight of his day—not only did he enjoy hanging out with his friend, but he could feel his baseball IQ growing. Together they'd cheer while watching famous double plays on video, imagining Logan pulling off the same moves in the upcoming tournament.

The entire team, once skeptical, now saw Logan as a little brother who was catching up quickly. With every small victory, the jokes grew more good-natured and the encouragement more genuine. Logan could tell: the days of only being "Wrong-Way Logan" were coming to an end.