With six inches of snow on the ground, it is obvious baseball season is on the way. Time Warner Stadium is covered in snow and ice, but the Dayton Flyers baseball team is ready to go.

The Flyers have a lot to look forward to as the team begins the 2007 season. Last year the Flyers finished with 34 wins and an appearance in the Atlantic 10 tournament. But to Coach Tony Vittorio, that isn't good enough.

'Having 34 wins and making the tournament is nice, but our goal is to the win the Atlantic 10 title,' he said. The Flyers have the tools to do that with a new batch of recruits mixed in with some key returning players.

Last year was only the second time in UD history that the baseball team had ever had 30 wins in back to back seasons. They also had the pleasure of watching one of the best pitchers to ever throw at Dayton, Luke Trubee, who is now apart of the New York Yankees organization.

'Losing a Luke Trubee is not easy to replace, but we feel that we have recruited well enough to fill those holes,' Vittorio said.

Pitching is led this year by seniors Chris Rubio, Kyle Lindsey and Phil Ernst. Coach Vittorio is also looking for sophomores Sean Finn and Quinn Haselhorst to have huge years. Finn stepped onto the scene last season with a 2.75 ERA out of the bullpen.

'Kyle Lindsey, Rubio and Ort along with Finn and Haselhorst will have an integral part this season,' Vittorio said.

With Craig Rohren graduating last year, the Flyers will need a new, late-inning stopper.

'Look for Sean Finn or new recruit Chris Beesley to fill the closing roll,' Vittorio said. Stability in pitching is the key and the Flyers believe they have one of the deepest pitching staffs in the history of the program. Last year the Flyers had six streaks of two or more losses in a row. Deep pitching will help fix that problem.

'Pitching controls the streakiness; if we don't get down early we can set good tones for the offense,' Vittorio said.

The offense is looking as strong as it ever has, led by seniors Mike Massa and Bobby Getty.

'Mike Massa is one of the best players to ever play here and Bobby Getty is the best pure hitter I have every coached,' Vittorio said.

Massa is the Flyers' lead off man. Last season he hit for an average of .325 and started every game at shortstop. Getty led the team in average (.342), doubles (15), and on base percentage (.451). He also made the Atlantic 10 all-conference team.

The Flyers are looking for junior Sean Gizynski and sophomore Frank Tedesco to help out Massa and Getty.

'We look for Sean and Franky to step up and make a huge impact,' Vittorio said. These players will have to help shoulder the load until the freshmen can adjust to game speeds.

UD also boasts one of the best recruiting classes in the Atlantic 10 this season. Look for players such as pitchers Beesley and Matt Speckman to make an immediate impact on this year's club.

'Beesley is coming along well as a freshman, he is untested,' Vittorio said. 'But hopefully we can get him to make a huge impact very soon.'

The Flyers' schedule consists of challenging non-conference games. UD will travel to play High Point and Toledo as well as play the national powerhouse Notre Dame.

'Obviously with the prestige Notre Dame brings with them, that will be a big game for our program,' Vittorio said.

The Flyers will also host teams such as Oakland, Butler and Wright State.

Vittorio believes his program has become one of the Atlantic 10's best.

'We have earned our way as being one of the better teams in the A-10,' he said. 'The past eight years have really put us up there.'

Which teams should Flyer fans look out for in a strong Atlantic 10 conference?

'There is a lot of parody; certainly Rhode Island and Charlotte are going to be at the top,' Vittorio said. 'But you cannot count out Saint Louis University or St. Bonaventure either, they finished second last season.'

The Flyers have the tools to make this season one of the most memorable for the fans.

'We want to get there (Atlantic 10 Championship), but we need constant improvement everyday,' Vittorio said. 'The biggest goal is not to focus on the trophy, but focus on a championship effort everyday.'

The Flyers home opener is Feb. 27 against Bowling Green at 2 p.m.