THE SWEET SPOT

Trip’s baseball roots run deep: His dad’s team won the Little League championship when he was 12, and Grandpa was a minor-league ballplayer. Trip is well aware of the family legacy of baseball, but he feels the heavy expectation to achieve and struggles to carve out a legacy of his own. After his father, who’s a Marine, is deployed overseas, Trip shoulders responsibilities on the field as captain and at home, where Dad tells him to “Take care of your mom and your sisters.” He assumes these roles with great seriousness, but troubling news about his father adds stress, and his team leadership is tested when Samantha “Sam” Callahan joins them and teammate Dylan makes derisive remarks. Trip questions whether he can give his all to both baseball and family. The authentic first-person narration shows him facing pressures and reassessing the importance of family. His relationship with Sam is nuanced: Dad, Coach, and Trip are supportive of girls’ inclusion and believe in girls’ equality, but Trip’s admiration for Sam’s talent stirs up feelings of jealousy and self-doubt. As the season unfolds, Trip confronts uncomfortable realities and learns to be guided by his conscience, shaping a legacy that extends far beyond the baseball diamond. Main characters are cued white.