The weather last week at UD was snowy and windy, but the smell of baseball was in the air.

Fresh off a 2009 Atlantic 10 regular season championship, the Dayton baseball team held a community meet and greet last Tuesday night. Coach Tony Vittorio greeted the crowd with opening remarks before starting the program filled with pizza, prizes and conversations with the players.

Despite the harsh winter conditions, dozens of people from the community, family members and UD students made it out to the event at the Frericks Center. Vittorio began his brief speech by motivating fans with the recent success of Red Scare with the basketball program.

"We want to make the experience here just like the basketball team," Vittorio said in an effort to encourage more support at the games. "We have a good product out there that we are very proud of."

Vittorio is right on the ball with that assessment as following a 38-win season a year ago, the Flyers are loaded for another attempt to make the College World Series. The team fell short last season, losing in the Atlantic 10 tournament and then bypassed as an at-large addition to the field.

"Our intention is to win the conference tournament," Vittorio said following his comments to the crowd. "That is our intention this year is to win that tournament."

One by one, Vittorio introduced the players that will be responsible for an even more successful follow-up season for the Flyers. Outfielders Zach Jacob and Aaron Dunsmore, infielders Cole Tyrell and Jimmy Roesinger along with pitchers Cameron Hobson and Burny Mitchem stuck out from the crowd.

The senior Jacob ranked in the Top 10 in the A-10 in hits, runs and total bases last year, and will be vital for the Flyers again this season as the No. 3 hitter in the batting lineup. Dunsmore, also a senior, finished second on the team in hits, doubles, home runs and RBI a season ago.

Moving to the infield, Tyrell and redshirt junior Roesinger received praise from Vittorio for their leadership in the clubhouse. Their production was helpful as well, as Tyrell led the team in slugging percentage and RBI in 2009 while Roesinger collected a .401 batting average, third best in the conference.

According to the reigning freshman All-American left-hander Hobson, "the offense carried us last season." The statistics back up his argument. UD's team set new university records in 2009 with 448 runs scored, 665 hits, 143 doubles, 77 home runs and a .332 batting average.

This season, Hobson believes the team is capable of producing balanced contributions in terms of both hitting and pitching. He certainly did his part last year, finishing as the A-10 Rookie of the Year with a 3.43 ERA with 83 strikeouts and a 7-1 record in eight starts.

The difference is "night and day" from last season Hobson said, who along with redshirt sophomore Burny Mitchum, will be a part of one of the best 1-2 punches in the conference. Mitchem is returning from a leg injury last season that limited him to only three games, but according to his coach he could become a high-round selection during the MLB Draft in June.

Going through the players and introducing them to the crowd, Vittorio had a joke or remark for each of them. He even embarrassed sophomore pitcher Mike Hauschild by referring to him as "the poster child of the bicentennial" due to his Abraham Lincoln-like beard.

In conclusion, Vittorio said he is very proud of the team and especially the leadership of his upperclassmen for their "comradery and cohesiveness." The season began over the weekend for the Flyers as they will look to add to the all-around success of Dayton athletics this season.