High school senior Willie Stewart seems to have it all. Tall and handsome, the star athlete at York City's El Dorado High is set to begin the 1986 baseball season...The Third Season of his final year. After leading the football and basketball teams to rare playoff appearances in The First Two Seasons, and securing a scholarship to play quarterback at the local university, Willie and his best friend, B. J. Jackson, look to the future while also trying to enjoy the present. As his father continues to fight a courageous health battle, his relationship with Mary Lou falters, and the baseball team makes a push for the postseason, Willie's pressures continue to mount. It seems to all come crashing down one afternoon on the mound, but Willie finds hope from an unlikely source, and finds new love... Elsewhere in the York City community, Tom Mathis struggles to care for his ailing mother and his young son, re-enters the dating world, and attempts to repair a fractured relationship with his brother - all while trying to pursue his coaching dreams; football coach Steve Courtney readies for a return to his alma mater as his El Dorado career draws to a close; disgraced hoops coach Jim Judkins meets the cruelest fate of all...