Fast Pitch

1 

Batter Up 

We have to win this game. . . . 

Like gotta win. No other option. 

I ve been playing base-related ball--first tee, now soft--since the minute I could hold up a bat. Just like my daddy. And his daddy before him. And his daddy before him. It s in my blood. And I learned the meaning of love/hate relationship in a game situation like this one. 

It s the bottom of the sixth and we re up by three, but the opposing team is at bat. Bases are loaded, two strikes, two outs. Any time I say something is stressful, my mama rolls her eyes and says, You re twelve, Shenice. You have no idea what that word means. But this? Is stressful. 

As I drop back into my squat behind home plate, my eyes scan the field, and I inhale deep. Impossible to not notice--for me at least--how different our two teams look. While every player on mine, the Fulton Firebirds, has some shade of brown skin, all of the Stockwood Sharks girls are white. 

Which is the case for most teams in the 12U division of the Dixie Youth Softball Association. DYSA, if you re feeling fancy. 

Not only are we Fulton Firebirds the first all-Black team in this league--which even considering the name is a huge deal--we re the only team in the entire DYSA with more than three Black players on the roster. 

Across eight states. All of which were on the pro-slavery side during the Civil War. Something my daddy reminds me of every time he sees DYSA.  

It s a weight no one your age should have to carry, but can t ignore, he says. And he s right: Every win feels . . . historical. 

I hate it . . . but also love it. 

Victory is almost ours. 

I hear the ump--a short dude whose middle is shaped like the highlighter-hued ball that gives this game I love so much its name--hock a loogie above my head. It slams into the dirt on my right with the force

Nic Stone is the author of many novels, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Dear Martin and its New York Times bestselling sequel, Dear Justyce. She also penned the young adult titles Odd One Out, an NPR Best Book and an ALA Rainbow Book Top Ten, Jackpot, a love-ish story that takes a searing look at economic inequality, and Chaos Theory, a Southern Book Prize finalist and a YALSA Quick Pick Selection. Her middle-grade novels include Clean Getaway, a New York Times bestseller, and Fast Pitch, which received two starred reviews including from Publishers Weekly, which said, “Black girl magic hits a home run in Stone’s latest.” Nic lives in Atlanta with her adorable little family.

A grand slam of an adventure. Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Black girl magic hits a home run in Stone's latest novel." Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Books like Fast Pitch are welcome evidence that writers for young readers are continuing to move beyond narratives in which the primary problem is a character s marginalization." -The New York Times

"Tensions are high as the plot bounces between gameplay and sleuthing, ultimately reaching a satisfying conclusion.... Readers of all ages will cheer for Shenice."  Booklist

A sports mystery that will keep ­readers engaged from start to finish Discussions about race and civil rights are seamlessly ­woven into the narrative through Shenice s own ­experiences. School Library Journal

"This contemporary sports story goes beyond mere genre appeal; it is a novel of substance, carrying the weight of history. The Horn Book