New Mexico State Baseball has combined to win 69 games the previous two seasons. In addition to the wins on the field, the Aggies have placed eight players in professional baseball in 2016 and 2017.
 
Among those professionals is Joe Galindo, who was drafted 13^th round by the San Diego Padres in 2016. Galindo has excelled in his first professional season, splitting time between Low-A Tri-City, Single-A Fort Wayne and High-A Lake Elsinore.
 
Galindo has been named a Northwest League All-Star and in early August he was promoted to Fort Wayne after not allowing a run at Tri-City.
 
This is part three of a weekly Q and A with an Aggie alum in professional baseball. 
 
 
Q1) How did your time at New Mexico State help you in professional baseball?
 
JG: New Mexico State prepared me to be organized both on the field and off the field in the classroom. Juggling athletics and school can be challenging, but my coaches played a pivotal role in helping me juggle both areas, and that has carried over to helping me in professional baseball. Here in professional baseball you need to have a daily routine and know when to be at the field and when you need to be ready to go. Coach Green made sure that we handled ourselves like professionals in college so it's been an easier transition.
 
Q2) What has been the biggest adjustment to professional baseball?
 
JG: Time management and sticking to the daily routine has been the biggest adjustment. Getting to the ballpark at the appropriate time and making sure your work is done is the key to success.
 
Q3) How rewarding is it to see your former college teammates have so much success in the pros?
 
JG: It's very rewarding to watch my college teammates do so well. It's amazing to see how many guys we have still getting the chance to play the game they love and playing it at a high level. I enjoy seeing pictures of them in professional uniforms and following their pro careers because I know how hard each and every one of them has worked to get to that level. We're all proud Aggies!
 
Q4) Give us a recap of what a game day is like for you. When do you arrive to the ballpark? What's your pregame routine like?
 
JG: The biggest thing for me as a pitcher is to get to the ballpark in plenty of time to make sure I have enough time to warmup, stretch and be active in the gym. The time changes depending on first pitch time that day or if I appeared the night before. After I get my individual work done I head to the field for team conditioning and stretch. We might have team fundamentals or just jump right into shagging baseballs during batting practice. After that is finished I head back in the clubhouse for a pregame meal, begin my pregame routine and then it's game time.
 
Q5) What do you remember most about your first pro appearance?
 
JG: I remember being nervous and anxious, but after a couple of deep breaths in the bullpen I was relaxed and ready to go. Once you get on the mound you are calm and your normal self because it's something I've done so many times in my lifetime. This whole experience has been a dream come true and I'm fortunate to get to play the game I love every day!