Bases full!

"Bases full!" by Ralph Henry Barbour is a young adult sports novel written in the early 20th century. Set at the prep school of Wyndham, it follows three friends—Clif Bingham, Tom Kemble, and the wheelchair-using Loring Deane—through a season that pivots from a fierce hockey rivalry with Wolcott to the trials of making the baseball team. The focus is on teamwork, perseverance, and school spirit, with coaches, tryouts, and friendships shaping the boys’ fortunes on and off the field. The opening of the novel plunges into a tied hockey finale against Wolcott, where substitute wing Clif is sent in, shadows the star Houston, and scrambles in the winning goal. It then introduces the “Triumvirate”—Clif, brash Tom, and bright, resilient Loring (assisted by his dignified attendant, Wattles)—and shifts to early baseball preparations: Coach Connover and Captain Hurry Leland set standards, a tough schedule looms, and indoor drills give way to chilly outdoor work. A second team forms under the sharp-eyed “Tusks” Wadleigh as Clif and Tom battle for spots, struggle with batting form, and learn fundamentals; a quiet scene with Clif’s visiting father and a glimpse of a Mr. Cooper add texture. Tom later confides his absent-father past, and Loring rallies the trio with a “work and will” pact to will their way onto the team, as the first nine splits its first games and the boys’ baseball quest truly begins.

Bases full!, by Ralph Henry Barbour. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #76800.