Santa Fe's professional baseball team will continue to take shape when a tryout is held for aspiring pitchers Friday afternoon in the Phoenix area.

Off the field, the team took one big step closer to reality with the release of its tentative schedule earlier this week.

Set to launch their inaugural season in the Pecos League this spring, the Fuego are set to make their debut May 8 in Trinidad, Colo.

Santa Fe will play 70 games between May and July. The home opener will be May 9.

The All-Star game is July 8 in Alamogordo and the regular season home finale is set for July 17.

All home games will be played at Fort Marcy Ballpark in historic downtown.

"This league really doesn't get cranking until March, but we're off to a good start with this schedule and some of the work we've done in places like Santa Fe," said Andrew Dunn, Pecos League president.

Dunn cautioned that the schedule shown on the league's Web site isn't official. All of Santa Fe's home games have been set for 7 p.m.

The team is listed for just 33 home dates. Dunn said the final version will have 35 games at home.

"Right now, we're just trying to get the word out that there is a team and we are getting closer to getting this thing going," Dunn said.

Santa Fe will have only one home game on a holiday. The Fuego will host the Las Cruces Vaqueros on June 17, Father's Day. The team is off on both Mother's Day and Memorial Day, and on the road in Trinidad for the Fourth of July.

"I'll say this," Dunn began. "Making an eight-team schedule is a lot easier than a six-team schedule. There's always going to be an imbalance."

Joining the Fuego in the league this coming season are teams from Roswell, Alamogordo, Las Cruces, Trinidad and Alpine, Texas. Santa Fe will play 16 games against three teams and 11 against the other two. The final 12 games of the regular season will be on the road.

The possibility of a few day games is certainly there for the Fuego, particularly on days when one team is scheduled to begin another series in another town the following day.

Because of the heat in southern New Mexico and Texas, Dunn said most road games will likely be played at night.

Promotions and a potential radio contract are elements Dunn is trying to iron out right now. As of this week the team didn't have a single front office employee, although the league hopes to have one in place by March.

Until then Dunn is seeking local business willing to sell Fuego merchandise.

The team's uniforms were unveiled during a tryout at Fort Marcy in December and Dunn is predicting that the team's black, orange and red color scheme will translate well to a fan base eager for pro baseball.

"Two years ago this league's talent was tremendous," he said. "Last year we sort of bridged the gap, but this year it's going to be better than ever. Getting a team in Santa Fe in that ballpark; that's something I can't wait to see."

Contact Will Webber at wwebber@sfnewmexican.com.