The schedule is something we wanted to address. We think with the addition of Miami (Fla.) and some other changes we made to our mid-week opponents, we have taken steps in the right direction. We will always try and play the best teams in the nation during the non-conference portion of our schedule to better prepare us for Big Ten play and beyond.

I just think to try to put Miami in a 13-week season, our schedule is tough enough as it is. If there are 14 weeks, that gives you another open date to play with there. That's why we did it. I think the series is good for the state, and so does Paul Dee. But it's just not a series that's going to work out on a regular basis.

What the schedule says is what you have to do. You have to deal with it. Coming out of spring training to play 17 days in a row is a little demanding on your pitching staff, but we've gotten through it.

Our schedule is unaffected by some of the recent changes that they've announced.

We have not announced any changes to our schedule or destinations.

Our schedule is tougher than last year because of the addition of a match against Carmel on April 11, but I would expect the team's dual record to remain above .500 this season. While Cathedral remains a solid favorite to repeat as team champion in the City Tournament, we are optimistic about our chances to finish in one of the top two spots. We should compete for a couple of the individual City championships as well.