SOUTH BEND — As if staying in South Bend wasn't comfortable enough, it gets better for AJ Pollock. The rookie has a pal in the pros.

Joining the former Irish star on the Silver Hawks roster is Marc Krauss. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected the Ohio University standout in the 2nd round of this year's draft.

Suiting up for the Silver Hawks wasn't the first time Pollock and Krauss met each other. Both squared off against each other last summer while playing in the Cape Cod league.

Both agree that having someone along for the rookie ride has been helpful.

"Just to know someone, kind of have a little common denominator there," Pollock said. "We both played in the Cape. I didn't really know him too well, but the few times I talked to him we really hit it off. When I heard he was going to the Diamondbacks, it was pretty incredible."

Krauss couldn't agree more. He's happy to be on the same side of the field as Pollock. "It's nice to finally be on his team," Krauss said, "so we cant team up and show our stuff together."

Silver Hawk's manager Mark Haley knows from years of experience that having someone around who's just starting out as well really helps. "I mean, they're both going through the same thing, so it helps that they can talk to each other and kind of relate back and forth," Haley said.

For the new roommates, it also means learning more about each other's personalities, like Pollock's flare for pranks.

Although a lot of pranks weren't pulled the first couple of days, Krauss suspects that Pollock will return to true form soon enough. "He's definitely a fun guy to be around. It being our first couple of days, he hasn't pulled too many pranks yet," Krauss said. "I'm sure he'll be back to his old ways soon."

Living with his new teammate has also given Pollock a chance to get to know Krauss off-the-field. "He's pretty laid back," Pollock said. "He's definitely a stereotypical Midwestern guy, I would say. He's got a girlfriend of six years! I mean, for me, that's like WOW!! Alright."

Haley notices the strides both Pollock and Krauss have made since they first arrived, but don't expect the rookies' on-the-field personalities to fool the long-time manager. "With me they're totally different," Haley said. "I would come walking in and they put on that halo. But they can't fool me, I've been doing this too long."

From what it sounds, the rookie duo of Pollock and Krauss should be just fine as their inaugural season picks up.