FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(article posted by Claire Norfleet, Student Sports Information Assistant)

Mar. 13, 2013 - With the arrival of Spring Break, both the North Central College baseball and softball teams are heading for their warmer weather destinations, each traveling to a new location. 
           
The baseball team will be making three different stops in Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas, while Fort Myers, Fla., will host the Cardinals' softball team. Each team will face tough competition, which will help them prepare for a tough conference schedule.
           
Assistant baseball coach Joe Heller believes that the Cardinals' schedule, which includes seven games in eight days, will be a good test for the team.
           
“It will give us a great understanding of where we are as a team. Being able to play live competition will allow our team to truly find its identity,” said Heller.
           
One team they face will already be halfway through its season, so the Cardinals will be forced to step up and play tough. The coaches will take this trip as an opportunity to closely evaluate the team and make any necessary changes.
           
“We have many spots on the field where guys are trying to earn jobs,” said Heller. “Being able to play will allow us to use a few different combinations of lineups and positions to figure out the best way to approach the conference season.”
              
With a full schedule ahead, the team hopes to return home with a positive mindset and confidence of a winning season.
           
Heller added, “Baseball is a game of repetition. We need to prepare for the first few games the same as we would the last.”
           
After traveling to Tucson, Ariz., for so many years in the past, the Cardinals' softball team will also head south but end up in the Sunshine State.
           
Head coach Jim Kulawiak isn't too worried about having to play 10 games during a six-day trip.
           
“It's nothing we haven't done before. You have enough players to utilize if you need to. So I really don't think fatigue should play a major part,” said Kulawiak.
           
Only twice has the team returned from the spring break trip with a losing record; one of those was last year. This season, the coaching staff has higher expectations.
           
With such a young team, there will always be different areas that need improvement, whether offense, defense or just team strategy in general.
           
“The biggest concern is the pitching scenario, but we have two pitchers who are pretty strong physically,” said Kulawiak. “Obviously, I wish we had a little bit more depth in the pitching area but it just didn't work out the way we had hoped from a recruiting perspective.”
 
Although the team will face tough competition, its main goal is to return home with a winning record.
           
“We have a little more experience to put on the field than a year ago. We've added some quality freshmen and a couple transfers who I think are going to really help, not only our performance but the overall depth of the team,” added Kulawiak.
           
Both teams will play their first games on Friday, Mar. 13. The baseball team will face its first opponent, Louisiana College, in Pineville, La., while the softball team will compete against Curry College in Fort Myers.