Softball Switch-Up

by Jake Maddox

  Glossary

  anxious (ANGK-shuhs) —

  afraid or nervous about what may happen

  balance (BAL-uhns) —

  a state in which things occur in equal or proper amounts

  championship (CHAM-pee-uhn-ship) —

  a contest held to determine the best or winning player or team in a sport or game

  irritation (ir-uh-TEY-shuhn) —

  the state of being annoyed, or sore and sensitive

  league (leeg) —

  an association of people or groups with common interests or goals

  lineup (LAHYN-uhp) —

  a list of players taking part in a game

  pressure (PRESH-er) —

  a force or influence that cannot be avoided

  reunite (ree-yoo-NAYHT) —

  to come or bring together again after being apart

  stance (stans) —

  a way of standing

  Discussion Questions

  If you were in Raisa’s shoes, how would you have coached Annie? Talk about some things you might have done differently.

  Do you think Taylor and Julia were being fair when they told Raisa she needed to talk to the coach about Annie? Why or why not?

  Imagine you are a member the Tigers and saw your teammates not getting along. What are some of the things you would do to help them?

  Writing Prompts

  Imagine you could go back in time to when Raisa was first learning how to pitch. What do you think her first lesson might have looked like? Do you think she would have been a great pitcher from the start? Write a few paragraphs describing her first lesson.

  Which position do you think would be the most fun to play in softball? Write a paragraph about why you think that position is the most fun.

  Can you think of a time you helped someone learn a new task? What was it and how did it go? Write a paragraph detailing the experience and how you helped that person.

  More About Softball

  Learning these softball terms is sure to make watching and playing the game a lot more fun!

  ball—when an umpire calls, “ball,” it means that the batter has not swung at the pitch and the pitch has landed outside the strike zone

  batter up—how an umpire signals for the next batter to come into the batter’s box

  batter’s box—the rectangular area on either side of home plate on which the batter stands while at bat

  center field—the part of the softball outfield between right and left field

  infield—the area of a softball field enclosed by the three bases (first, second, and third) and home plate

  left field—the part of the outfield to the left, from the perspective of looking out from home plate; also the position of the player defending left field

  mound—the slightly elevated ground on which a pitcher stands

  on deck—if you’re “on deck,” it means you are the next person up to bat

  outfield—the part of a softball field beyond the infield and between the foul lines; this can also refer to the defensive positions making up right field, center field, and left field, or the players who occupy these positions

  right field—the part of the outfield to the right, from the perspective of looking out from home plate; also the position of the player defending right field

  strike—a pitched ball that is in the strike zone or is swung at and is not hit fair

  strike zone—the area over home plate through which a pitched softball must pass to be called a strike

  windmill—the way a pitcher rotates his or her arm for the pitch, spinning his or her arm in a circle, like a windmill

  Jake Maddox Girl Sports Stories are published by Stone Arch Books

  a Capstone imprint

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.capstonepub.com

  Text and illustrations © 2020 Stone Arch Books.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Maddox, Jake, author. | Deen, Natasha, author. | Wood, Katie, 1981– illustrator. | Maddox, Jake. Jake Maddox girl sports stories.

  Title: Softball switch-up / by Jake Maddox ; text by Natasha Deen ; illustrated by Katie Wood.

  Description: North Mankato, Minnesota : an imprint of Stone Arch Books, [2019]

  Series: Jake Maddox. Jake Maddox girls sports stories

  Summary: When the coach of her championship softball team asks Raisa Kumar to teach a new recruit, Annie, how to pitch, Raisa is eager to help, especially since she hopes to be a coach herself someday; but when the team’s other pitcher turns up with a broken arm, teaching Annie takes on a new urgency—and Raisa’s efforts at coaching seem to be frustrating Annie rather than helping her.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2019000271| ISBN 9781496583246 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781496584502 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781496583260 (ebook pdf) | ISBN 9781496587657 (ebook)

  Subjects: LCSH: Softball—Juvenile fiction. | Pitching (Softball)—Juvenile fiction. | Coaching (Athletics)—Juvenile fiction. | Teamwork (Sports)—Juvenile fiction. | Self-confidence—Juvenile fiction. | CYAC: Softball—Fiction. | Coaching (Athletics)—Fiction. | Teamwork (Sports)—Fiction. | Self-confidence—Fiction. | East Indian Americans—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.M25643 Sop 2019 | DDC 813.6 [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019000271

  Designer: Tracy McCabe

  Production Specialist: Katy LaVigne

  Design Elements: Shutterstock