Bunt!

by Bill Baynes

What happens when a sharp-eyed kid develops such precise bat control that he can bunt a baseball just about anywhere he wants it? He can hop it. Stop it. Even spin reverse English on it.What happens is that one of the oldest skills in the game takes on a surprising new life. What happens is insane infielders, angry pitchers, hysterical chanting fans and a surprising breakout into a late season California League pennant race.The kid’s sudden spark gives the “pretty good” Sierra Bears an unpredictable edge in close games. Suddenly they are on a roll towards the climax of the craziest baseball season ever.Bunt! is a wise baseball read. Plainly written for young adults who may not read all that much, Bunt! is an inspiring tale that will tickle baseball fans of all ages. A wily skipper, a by-the-rules coach, and a team of upward-bound hopefuls and downward-slipping veterans inherit an unknown kid who comes aboard with nothing more than an amazing junior college batting average.Bunt! is an unblinking aficionado’s delight that captures the feel and smell, the strategy and lore of the game. Bunt! is “inside baseball” at its grittiest best.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Bill Baynes is a writer, producer and director who lives in Belmont, CA. He has worked in many media formats, ranging from newspapers to live television to feature films to magazines to websites. He has previously written for the Miami Herald and the Associated Press, and won awards as a documentary filmmaker. A specialist in public interest marketing, he has developed dozens of media campaigns about health-related topics for federal, state and local agencies. He has assisted school systems, teaching students to create their own messages on various issues, such as tobacco and alcohol abuse.

His young adult baseball novel, Bunt! was released by Silverback Sages Publishers in 2013. Mrs. Spooner’s Special Day, a novella about a homeless woman at Christmastime, was published by The Long Story in 2016. His WWII novella, The Occupation of Joe, is set for release by Top Hat Books in August, 2018. His middle-grade children’s novel, The Coyote Who Braved Baseball, will be released by Thurston Howl Publications in early 2019.

Bill is a member of the Historical Novel Society, the California Writers Club SF Peninsula Branch and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.