J. Creighton Brown

African American seventeen-year-old Teresa Jayne Zanotti (TJ) was born to play baseball. TJ's brother, Bobby, is a San Francisco Giants starting shortstop. Her father, Stan, is a retired team trainer, and her mother, Peggy, never misses a San Francisco Giants game. TJ is also the starting shortstop on the Menlo Park Tigers junior varsity baseball team and a shoe-in to make varsity. That is until transfer player Brice Thompson snags the position and she is forced to try out for the school softball team. TJ is an excellent player and Coach Lisa Myers can't help but include her on the roster. Yet when it comes to teamwork, TJ is far from perfect. She locks horns with several players, including team pitcher Amazon Amy. The team's curmudgeonly assistant coach, Marty Alvarez, befriends TJ and her dislike for softball slowly begins to soften. As the season rolls on she discovers that fast pitch softball isn't only about teamwork, it's about friendship, as well.