Fresh from a thrilling basketball season playing for the varsity team, Matt is looking forward to a new baseball. The South Side team seems to be strong this year-if only Matt can control his fear of being hit by an errant pitch. But when Matt's friend, Jake, the team's star, falls in with the wrong crowd, the entire season-not to mention their long-standing friendship-seems to be on the line.
Jeff Rud has authored eight books, including three young adult fiction titles for Orca in the South Side Sports series. A sportswriter, columnist, and sports editor for newspapers in Western Canada over a 20-year period, he is now a reporter for the Victoria Times Colonist, covering provincial politics in the British Columbia legislature.
His non-fiction works include Canucks Legends: Vancouver's Hockey Heroes (Raincoast, 2006) and Steve Nash: The Making of an MVP (Penguin, 2007.) Born in Red Deer, Alberta, Jeff now lives in Victoria, B.C., with his wife, Lana, a middle school teacher, and their two children.