Coach Spanky McFarland jumped the first hurdle in the building of the baseball program on Friday.

McFarland now has an official team to coach. The team consists of 32 players and is top-heavy in the pitching department.

“I kept 15 pitchers,” McFarland said. “I’m trying to give those guys more opportunity to improve, but I won’t keep more than 10 or 11 in the spring.”

Come springtime, McFarland will cut the team down to 20 or 22 players, depending on their needs. For now, the 32 players will practice outdoors, weather permitting, until the end of October.

Included in that agenda is an approximately 10 game fall schedule against teams like Kishwaukee Community College, all of which will be played on the road.

McFarland is glad to be officially getting under way.

“It’s a lot of fun,” McFarland said. “We’re approaching this fall like major league teams use spring training except we’ll be looking for team identity on offense and defense.”

The coach does realize that there is a long road ahead.

“We don’t have a team nucleus to build around,” McFarland said. “There is so much that we have to put in. The fall will be a time for a lot of teaching and a lot of learning.

“We’re strong in the middle infield area. We have four or five kids doing a real good job right now.”

McFarland thinks the whole process is right on schedule.