The Eastern baseball team officially started practice Jan. 3, but this week was the first time the Panthers had a chance to practice outside when it scrimmaged on the pro turf of O’Brien Stadium.

Before that, Eastern was practicing in Lantz Field House and Saturday, when the Panthers open their season at Oklahoma, will be the first time since fall scrimmages that they will play on grass. Head coach Jimmy Schmitz said his team is ready to get off the artificial surfaces.

“The weather hasn’t been as cooperative as last year,” Schmitz said. “People don’t understand how different being inside is.”

For senior pitcher Kyle Widegren one of the biggest obstacles of practicing indoors is pitching of a wood ramp to simulate a mound.

“We should be able to adjust (to throwing off a dirt mound) in a couple innings,” widegren said. “Just being out (on O’Brien) and getting used to competing in game situations helps.”

Sophomore catcher Jason Cobb said playing indoors gets old, but when the team moves outdoors the biggest adjustment is playing in a situation that isn’t ideal.

“You never get bad hops inside,” Cobb said.

And unfortunately for Eastern, Oklahoma will have a leg up on them. The Sooners already have three games under their belt, going 2-1 in the Coca-Cola Classic Spring College Baseball Tournament in Surprise, Ariz. Oklahoma lost to Gonzaga 8-5 and to No. 12 Arizona State 7-5, before finishing with a win over South Alabama 4-1.

Last season, Eastern won its first game of the year against Southwest Missouri then lost the next games before finishing as the Ohio Valley Conference runner-up. That season the Panthers had a tough, non-conference schedule, playing two ranked teams, and Eastern expects a tough road again.

“When we play Big XII schools or other big teams it makes us better as a team in the long run,” Widegren said.

But just because the Panthers bounced back from a slow start last year doesn’t mean they plan to this year.

“I say this every year that we need to focus from the very beginning,” Schmitz said. “We don’t just want to go on these trips and put in the innings. We want to, hopefully, come away with a win.”