I apologize for my delay in updating the On Deck Circle.  Once the season hits, there aren't enough hours in the day.  In my opinion, Arizona was a great opening trip.  Despite coming home with less wins than we wanted, our players were tested against some great teams and placed in many high pressure situations.  The one thing I learned over the course of 10 games, is that we are young...talented, but young.  The transition from the gym to a game field is never an easy thing, but a transition to college baseball from high school (which was the case for many of our guys) is a whole different story.  With one senior on the roster and 4-5 freshmen in the starting line-up, along with 3-4 sophomores and 2 juniors, growing pains are inevitable.  Despite our youth, the guys did a tremendous job of improving every game.  The evidence could be seen in 4 out of our last 5 games, which were all decided in the final inning. I couldn't have asked for a better learning environment for our guys early in the season.

Off the field, our players enjoyed a great barbecue at the Rico home on our final day, in addition to a fantastic practice venue (Desert Vista High School) on our off day.  With temperatures in the 80s the entire week and barely a cloud in the sky, Phoenix was a perfect setting.  We also had excellent fan support, with many parents and families joining us on the trip.  The Siple, Metz, Norman, Lee, Hamilton, Thomas, Humphreys, Dodaro, Stirling, and Ritz families made their way to Arizona.  We were joined for the games on Monday by Wabash alum John Birdzell '61 who brought us a pair of wins.  Special thanks to the Rico family and Nick Rico for all of their hospitality and generosity.  Also, a big thanks to my coaching staff (Ryan Flynn, Jared Bogan, Nick Pompeo, Tom Perkins, Mark Colston, Brent Harris) for their part in a great trip.

Tomorrow we travel to Greencastle to take on an always tough Depauw squad for a single nine inning game.  Matt Walker and Jake Martin do a great job down there and I'm sure we will have our work cut out for us.  I hope to see all of you at the ballpark soon!