Strikeout

(For you, Nick ...)

Texas sunlight streamed into the bedroom and Brody Jennings woke slowly as the bands of light washed over him. Deep blue eyes fluttered open, complementing a strong handsome face with a square jaw, curly brown hair and a powerful and athletic physique. He stretched naked under the thin white sheets and smiled as he stroked the muscled expanse of his smooth tanned chest. Today's the big day! he thought to himself as he got out of bed and padded to the bathroom.

Brody's first love had been baseball. Ever since he was in the peewee leagues in Hewlitt, Texas it was something he had lived and breathed for. Jennings had been a star player at Midway HS and it was his performance there that had earned him a coveted sports scholarship to Texas A&M University. Coach Braddock had hinted that a number of talent scouts would be at today's game and starting to court potential players for the major leagues. Though Jennings was only a sophomore, but he knew that first impressions were always the strongest. Getting onto the roster of the Astros or the Royals was something he dreamed of. Gaining the eye of one of those scouts would be the first step on his path to becoming a professional player.

The young man had been rewarded for his red-hot start to the season on February 23rd as he was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week, the league office announced. Brody had started all four games at first base for the top-ranked Aggies the prior weekend, marking the first starts of his career. He hit .900 (9-for-10) with a triple, home run and five RBIs while scoring 11 of A&M’s 42 runs in a four-game sweep of Wright State. The first baseman was flawless in the field defensively as well, having reached base safely in 15 of his 16 plate appearances that weekend. He finished with hits in his last five at bats, scoring four of those five times. Jennings became the 15th Aggie player to earn the award.

After washing the sleep from his face, the ball player pulled on a pair of running shorts and laced up a pair of well-worn Adidas track shoes. A leisurely run around the Anderson track would get him ready for the game later that afternoon.

* * *

The run completed, Brody stood under the shower head and let the water wash over his body. He relaxed, closing his eyes and following his coach's advice of sports visualization. He could see the fans in the stands of the stadium; he could see himself at bat, see the OSU pitcher slackjawed as he made a grand slam; he could see the scoreboard clock tick down to zero as the score read in the Aggie's favor. Somewhat greedily, he also pictured himself being approached by more than one scout. He spread the vanilla-scented body wash over his slabbed pecs and traced the deep crevasses and plateaus of his abs with the slick fluid. Despite the cool water, Jennings found himself growing hard and excited. His hand moved lower, massaging his 8" tool. The mushroom head began to swell as his fingers traveled along the rigid shaft. His breathing increased and after a few moments, he felt his balls churn and tighten; his hand stroked faster and faster until he shouted, a stream of opalescent cum shooting from him and hitting the far wall of the shower. He opened his eyes to see the sticky fluid crawl slowly down tiles and swirl down the drain.

The combination of the warm water and the stroking had relaxed the young ballplayer and only served to improve his mental balance. Brody turned off the water and toweled himself dry. Wrapping the fluffy blue towel around his waist, he smiled at himself in the mirror and proceeded to shave.

* * *
The Locker Room.

Brody greeted his teammates as he sauntered over to his locker. He dropped his bag onto the bench and spun the combination to reveal his Aggie uniform and cleats, plus cap and gloves. Jennings sat on the bench and undid his sneakers. He then shimmied out of his snug jeans and pulled the tight t-shirt over his head. The first baseman bent over and tucked his Nikes under the metal shelving. His rosy pucker was framed by the white straps of the jock traveling down and around his muscled legs. Brody saw a pair of red and white Adidas step up next to him.

"Ready, sport?" The voice was gentle and deep at the same time. Brody straightened up to look into the smiling light brown face of Rayshawn Rodriguez, the Aggies catcher.

Jennings grinned at the other player. Rodriguez, a junior, had lost a bet last year and had been obliged to shave his head. Once done, he found that he enjoyed the feel of a smooth pate and kept himself bald. A short, razor cut beard highlighted his square jaw and full lips. The catcher stripped off his polo to reveal a strongly muscled torso - he also played as a running back for the Aggies football team.

"God, Ray-Ray, I am stoked for the game today! I can't wait to get out on the field!"

Rodriguez grinned at his teammate. "Coach said that there's gonna be a number of eyes on us today .... and maybe not just the fans, it's scout season!" He pulled the grey and maroon compression shirt over his frame and smoothed it over his muscles. His biceps and triceps strained the silky material.


"I know ... damn, I'm jumpy today." Brody pulled the sliding shorts over his jock and proceeded to pull the compression shirt over his head. He then stepped into his uniform pants and pulled them up.


"OSU's got no chance against you, Brody ... you're the best we've got!" The catcher was tucking his jersey into his pants, which did nothing to disguise his powerful legs and hard, firm ass. Rodriguez sat down and pulled on his cleats. He reached into his locker for his shin guards and face mask.
"Thanks, bud! See you outside!" Brody slipped on his gloves and jogged out for some pre-game warmups.

* * *

The history between the A&M Aggies and the OSU Cowboys has been quite colorful and intense over the years.

Particularly in Big 12 play.

The history was on the minds of the players of both teams, and all were aware of the stakes involved in this game. Overall, the Cowboys lead, 33-22, and also lead 23-17 since the formation of the league in 1997:

• For nine of the last 10 meetings, and 16 of the last 19 overall, games have been decided by two runs or less.
• Eight of the last nine games between the two teams at Olsen have been decided by two runs or less.
• A&M has won the series opener in each of the last two seasons, only to see OSU rally to win the final two games both times.
• There have been three series sweeps since Big 12 play began ... A&M swept the Cowboys in 1999 at Olsen Field, and OSU recorded home sweeps in 2000 and 2006.
• The Aggies are 8-4 against OSU in Big 12 series openers.
• The Aggies and Cowboys have met twice in NCAA Tournament play—in the 1984 Midwest
• Regional in Stillwater, and three times in the 1987 Midwest Regional in Starkville, Mississippi

Today's game proved to be just as nerve-wracking and tense as all of the other matchups. Inning by inning - play, by play - the score moved in the Aggie's favor and thence to the Cowboys and back again. Then, in the eighth inning, the Aggies appeared to be pulling ahead.

Brody was up at bat and was watching the tells of the Cowboys pitcher in front of him. The arm cocked back, the ball sped towards him. He swung.

"Strike One!"

Jennings shook his head. How could I have missed that? He squared his shoulders and rotated the bat in small circles as he readied to drive the ball out of the park. The pitcher grinned at him.

He swung again.

"Strike Two!"

Brody was shaken. Maybe it was nerves or the sense of anticipation today about the scouts. He saw the ball come at him in slow motion and felt his arms drive the bat towards it quarry. The roar of the crowd faded as he concentrated with all his might.

"Strike Three! You're out!"

Time sped up and returned to normal. Jennings looked on in horror as the scoreboard reflected his performance. Boos erupted from the home side of the stadium as the OSU fans cheered and began a chant which was soon picked up and gained momentum.

"Bro-dee ... Bro-dee ... Bro-dee ..."

The Aggies game deteriorated from that point on. More missed opportunities and errors caused the A&M players to lose by a run. The OSU fans were ecstatic. As soon as he could, Brody fled the field and ran into the stadium complex.

* * *It was a dejected team that trudged into the A&M locker room. Coach Wilson Braddock tried to put on a positive spin on the efforts of the players, but was having no success.

"C'mon fellas - remember - it's only a game. There's always the next time..."

"Yeah, and have Brody freeze up and make us lose again ..." Brooks Luther grumbled.

Ray grabbed the young man by his shirt front and slammed him against the lockers. "Don't you EVER talk that way about Brody, Brooks - you hear me?" The other junior was taken aback by the vehemence in the catcher's voice and glare.

"HEY! None of that! It could have been any one of you! Jennings puts his heart and soul into the game, which is more than I can say for some of you here. Put him down, Ray... Brooks, you have a damn nerve blaming him!"He looked at another one of the infielders.

"I didn't see you do any better Clayton!" The young man blushed.

Braddock turned to the shortstop. "And Dylan, you were sloppy today ... very, very sloppy." The player turned away and had the good sense to be embarrassed. The coach took a deep breath.

"Enough recriminations, guys. Let's have a nice hot supper and talk about how to do better next game."

He looked about. "Where *is* Brody?"

Rayshawn spoke up. "He bolted off the field after that chant started, Coach. He wasn't here when we came in. I'll go look for him."

* * *

"You're one hard man to find, bud." Rodriguez leaned against the doorframe to the empty faculty lounge. "You okay?" His normally sunny face was drawn with concern. "Coach was looking for you."

Ray had taken off his jersey, but was still in the rest of his uniform. The compression shirt was darkened with sweat and the grey pants were smudged with dirt.

Brody was sitting on the wooden bench with his head in his hands. He looked up at his teammate. "I'm such a fuckup, Ray-Ray... Coach is gonna throw me off the team ..." The catcher heard the anguish in his voice and from the looks of it, the first baseman had been crying.

"Oh, dude ..." He sat down next to him and wrapped a muscular arm around his shoulder. "No, no, he's not. I got bawled out for throwing Brooks against the lockers when he started grousing about you... Some of the guys were grumbling and he lit into them good. It could've happened to any one of us. "

"But it shouldn't have happened to me!" He was trembling. "Those scouts saw how bad I was ... I'm lost my chance of ever getting into the major leagues. Jesus, Ray-Ray ... if I have to work in my dad's John Deere dealership for the rest of my life, I don't know what I'm gonna do!"

"Shhhhhh... it's only ONE game, cielito. Don't think scouts are going to base their picks on just a single play. Or a single game." He gently rocked the other player. Then Rodriguez bent over and ran his lips in a feather-light movement across the back of the first baseman's neck.

Brody stopped shaking, straightened up and looked into the concerned brown eyes and the lopsided grin of the catcher. But he didn't pull away. Ray moved closer and cradled Jenning's face in his strong hands; he then placed his full lips over the other's in a gentle kiss. And smiled. The 100-watt grin brightened the room.

" I knew it ... you're just too damn good-looking to be straight! God, I've been wanting to do that since the season started!"

Despite the circumstances, Brody could not help himself. He grinned back. "Me too. You're so fucking sexy, Ray. You've got the most beautiful eyes and seeing that shaved head makes me hard every time I look at you!"

Rodriguez trailed a hand down the front of Brody's jersey and gave his crotch a squeeze. "Let's get washed up, stud. Coach wants to get the team together for a review."

* * *

By the time the two young men re-entered the locker room, it was deserted. The other players had gone and the room echoed with the sound of their cleats on the floor. Quickly, they stripped and stood facing each other, naked. Their kisses in the lounge had been light, almost tentative. Here, in this room marked as theirs, they took on a more heady flavor. Rodriguez pulled the first baseman to him and clamped their mouths together. Ray broke the kiss and looked at the curly-haired baseman. "You okay with this?" Their crotches were still pressed hard against each other and the mutual heat spread tendrils of desire between them.

"Never better." Brody pulled the other man's head to him. He wanted to place his mouth on the catcher and make him moan with desire.

"Oh, Jesus, I love kissing you." Brody said softly. Moving his other hand to Ray's jaw, his fingers kept him prisoner there while he again deepened the kiss, using his tongue to trace his full, sensuous lips before slipping it into his mouth. Something thrummed between them now, some mutual awareness that had not been there in those many days of training together.

Rayshawn's warm palm against his cool skin felt like a brand. "I want you, Brody." His voice was husky with need and desire. There was something in his eyes, an expression that tightened the first baseman's breath even further and escalated the beat of his heart. An answering emotion swept through Rodriguez so quickly that he was taken aback by it.

Rayshawn grinned as he allowed himself to be pushed onto his back. His legs parted for Brody and he felt the weight of the other settle on him. His hands roamed over Jenning's shoulders, kneading the muscles and bones. One of his legs slid up 's along Brody's calf and settled comfortably atop his thigh, pinning him close. The baseman's own hands roamed over the warm skin and felt the tightening of nips as his fingers grazed lightly over the flat disks. His tongue followed his hands and he lapped eagerly, hungrily, at Ray's slabbed pecs. Brody felt his lover's hands on his back, fingers digging brutally into his shoulders. Far from being uncomfortable, the pain was a sweet sensation and spurred him on. He ground his hips against Ray's groin and grunted as his lover's leg tightened around him.

Brody reached blindly up to the bench and found the lube he had removed from his bag. Quickly, he fumbled open the bottle and spread the slick liquid over his turgid member and into his hand. He traced the pucker beneath him more deeply, his slick fingertips finding and stroking Ray’s entrance. One finger slid easily into the hot channel, bringing a long, low moan from the catcher's mouth. Deep inside, he crooked his finger against the hidden gland, then inserted another as Rodriguez shouted his pleasure. Ready as he was, Brody hurried, and as soon as the entrance was prepared he replaced his fingers with his steel-hard organ.

Slowly, he eased himself into the welcoming body, the channel caressing him as no hand or mouth ever had. "So hot," he whispered, his voice more of a low moan, "so tight." Once fully sheathed, he paused, breathing heavily to maintain control. He felt Ray's internal muscles adjust to his presence, then just as slowly as he had entered, he pulled back. He found a rhythm of thrust and withdrawal that grew in speed and intensity as the world narrowed to contain only the two of them, his hard, throbbing sex in its hot, tight sheath the center of his universe.

They moved together, each of them reaching new heights of ecstasy. The catcher's climax pushed Brody over the edge, his seed pouring deep inside the other's body. They lay together, Brody and Ray, until their ragged breathing returned to normal and until their pounding hearts quieted. The curly-haired Texan gave the catcher a soft kiss.

"C'mon, Ray-Ray ... your turn ..."

Brody got to his feet and offered a hand to his teammate. He pulled him up and they headed towards the showers.

* * *

Brody turned on the water and adjusted it to a gentle warmth. Under the softly falling water, Jennings pulled his lover close to him, wrapping arms around the darker skin until they stood entwined in each other's embrace. They had never done so before, never measured the differences of height and breadth and shape. Ray's sleek head lay against his shoulder, his feet between his, hard chest and muscular thighs pressed firmly against him. Brody placed his hands on the other's shoulders and gently walked him to stand against the tiles. Raising Ray's arms over his head, he pressed the backs of his hands against the wall.

He traced a path with one finger from the catcher's inner wrist to the inside of his elbow, resting there as if to mark the spot. Bending his head, Brody pressed his lips there against the warmed flesh, feeling the pulse beat rapid and strong beneath his lips. He drew back and did the same with the other arm, this time brushing the tip of his tongue against his skin.

"Jesus Christ Almighty ..." Ray moaned.

Brody continued the onslaught. Strong fingers danced along Rodriguez' skin. There was the straight line that ran in the middle of his chest as if to delineate both halves. His thighs were hard to the touch, the muscles bunching beneath Jennings' fingers. His flat, etched stomach and broad chest were the reason his clothes fit so impressively. The baseman played his fingers lightly over the other's nips, feeling them rise to his touch. He bent over to lave one, then the other, with his tongue. When teeth bit sharply and deeply in to the same nipple, Ray hissed his pleasure and jabbed his fingers hard against Brody's shoulders.

"More, Brody! MORE!"

Jennings kissed and licked his way down Ray's chest until he reached the small indention of his navel. His tongue poked roughly in to the opening and he chuckled as the catcher's breath caught. He continued slipping his tongue in and out, his saliva slicking the other's abdomen. He felt his lover begin to tremble and slowed his ministrations. He opened his mouth wide and lowered his head, pushing Ray deeper into his mouth.

He slid his tongue over the swollen head. Swallowed. He allowed Rodriguez to thrust his hips, pushing and straining deeper in to his mouth until his eyes watered. Brody caressed and kneaded the taut ass, forcing the heavy cock further back in his throat. He moaned at the taste of his lover. He sucked greedily, brushing his tongue over the slit.

Rayshawn raised his head and hissed loudly as his hips jerked. He could not stop the thrust of his body as he felt the tension building deep within him. He could feel his sac draw and tighten as Brody's steady rhythm brought him closer to another climax. He closed his eyes and bit his lip, trying to force a measure of control back into his body. But to no avail. Back arched, Ray screamed as he succumbed to his passions and exploded once again.

Brody tasted the salty cum as his lover's eruption spilled in to his mouth. The cock between his lips twitched and he held it steady with his tongue; his mouth's powerful suction milked the sweet fluid from his lover. He tightly clutched the hips above his head and rode the waves of Ray's pleasure even as his own climax again rocked through his body. And when his lover was spent, Brody let the cock slip from his mouth and licked along the soft curls at its base, savoring the precious drops of cum that had escaped him. Rodriguez sagged against the wall, gently stroking the head of his lover, spent.

After a few moments, Jennings got to his feet and the two began to lather each other up, laughing and kissing as the bodywash filled the showers with the faint scent of vanilla. Together they stood, teammates in a joint embrace. Not simply as lovers, Brody realized, nor only as friends. Companions, perhaps, but that word did not quite suit, either. They were partners, and thinking that, he smiled and closed his eyes, feeling Ray place a kiss on the crown of his curly head.

* * *

I like to set challenges for myself. This story had several. In addition to the double exposure technique with a digital camera and following some "bald head" techniques for one of the shower scenes, I also had never done any really serious research into baseball. The "baseball story" came about as a request from a fan on GearFetish that was fascinated by my masks. We got to chatting and I asked him if he'd like to see something in particular. He did. And I was happy to oblige. I've had baseball requests in the past, but never acted on them.

Do you think that since this guy had a great sense of humor, a deliciously sexy voice, a mind like a steel trap and a form like mortal sin that that got me to bite the bullet and do the story?

In a word, YES!

Now, I could have gone the Major League route and set out to get myself a Yankees, or Red Sox or whatever uniform. But that would have been somewhat expensive and not exactly conducive to creating my own story - after all, once you have a name and number on the back of that jersey, I felt I would be confined by multiple sets of circumstances.

College baseball, however, provided a much richer environment. And considerably less of financial burden to get "official" wear. I had done a search on eBay and the Texas A&M Aggies happened to come up in my size and for a reasonable price. Once I got the jersey, it was relatively easy to come up with matching maroon and grey pieces to complete the outfit.

I had a definite idea of what Brody Jennings would look like, and the Derl "Artist" mask and a curly brown wig served me quite well. For Ray-Ray, I used my "Latino Player" mask from SPFX and part of a urethane muscle suit - I wanted Ray to be the more physically imposing of the two lovers - I wanted him to be a man who was so certain of his strength and power that he was not afraid to be seen as caring.

Sports-wise, what's next? I've gotten some shoulder pads, new socks and these cleats and I plan to do a few re-shoots of Chris - the Trojans football player turned Navy SEAL.

Other than that, I'm not sure - I'm running out of room to keep all of this stuff!