We are in the heat of things in the PAC-10 right now.

Like I imagined, every game is a dog fight. With four more match-ups left in our league, we are sitting in a third place tie. Coming off of a disappointing weekend at UCLA, we made sure to retain our focus during practice this week in order to be ready for a battle against Stanford this weekend.

This past week has been a stress-filled one; full of schoolwork and deadlines. Being on the road lately has made it difficult for me to keep up in the classroom. I love going on baseball trips, but it does have its setbacks in the classroom. With finals coming up, I have had to stay up late this week writing papers and studying for exams.

Time management is such a key skill to develop in college. Especially with the demands of being a college athlete at a high-level program, we need to make sure our days stay organized and efficient. It's a wonderful skill to develop and I know something that will help me in life after college as well.

Our coaches and staff really stress time management and this is the time of the year that this skill comes in handy. School is coming to an end in two weeks, and we still have four exciting weeks of baseball.

After this weekend, we play a Tuesday game against Arizona and then have a weekend off. I might be able to get some more spear fishing in. Until then, we have a few baseball games to win, and I have some final exams to study for. Anybody want to help me study for my Finance 380 final?

Joe Pa Out.

(photo courtesy of Arizona State Media Relations Office)