Sophomore Sensation: The G. O. A. T. Old-Fashioned Baseball Story, With Gratitude and Apologies to Clair Bee and Chip Hilton

Travis Mackey is a sixteen-year-old sophomore at University High School, having recently moved to Midland, a college town, after the tragic death of his father. He's a gifted young baseball player with a beautiful swing and a strong arm, who makes the varsity team despite conflicts with the irascible head coach and his cocky son, the starting shortstop. This is a story about a season marred by team dissension, a burglary at Uni High--for which Travis is falsely accused--and the unlikely success of a squad that rebounds from early-season mediocrity, an unsettling mystery, and senior selfishness to compete for a championship. The last part of the book is filled with the drama and excitement of tournament baseball games.

This novel for middle readers, young adults, and nostalgic older baseball fans pays homage to the beloved series of sports books (1948-1966) written by the great coach Clair Bee (1896-1983), the exploits of his fictional multi-sport hero, Chip Hilton, and a world in which character and sportsmanship shine as brightly as the natural talents of an athletic hero. An "Author's Note" at the end of the book illuminates its debt to the old-fashioned boys' sports books of the 1950s and 60s.