First schedule arrives

Thanks to the good folks at the Big Ten, yes Jim Delaney I'm talking to you, we're closer to pitchers and catchers reporting than we are to the start of the college baseball schedule.

That being said, Louisiana Tech has released its baseball and softball pocket schedules. My colleague Jimmy Watson was nice enough to pick up a pair while in Ruston over the weekend.

At first glance, Tech's baseball schedule is good, but not what it used to be -- thanks in large part to the uniform start date that takes effect this season.

The Bulldogs have four weekends of nonconference play before starting their WAC schedule. In previous years, Tech had at least six weekends of nonconference action.

Still Wade Simoneaux has put together a nice mix of weekend opponents. The highlight is a trip to College Station Texas, for a tournament featuring Arkansas, Ohio State and Texas A&M.

That weekend alone, along with a pair of games at Baylor later that week, should help the Bulldogs see where they stand in what shapes up as a pivotal year in Ruston.