TOWSON, Md. - With 21 letter winners returning from a team that set a school record with a .321 team batting average last season, Coach Mike Gottlieb and the Tigers will open their 2010 season by playing in the Elon University Classic this weekend.

The Tigers, who join Ohio University, North Carolina A&T and the host Phoenix in the tournament field, will face Elon in the season opener on Friday, February 19 at 1:00 p.m. at Latham Park. The Tigers resume tournament play on Saturday, February 20 when they face North Carolina A&T at 4:00 p.m. On Sunday, February 21, the Tigers close out tournament play with a 12 noon game against Ohio University.

When the Tigers, who had a 28-25 record last season, play Elon in the season opener, they will be facing a team that posted a 41-18 record last year and won its second straight Southern Conference championship. Led by junior lefthander Jimmy Reyes, Elon has high hopes for this season and was ranked 25th nationally in THE SPORTING NEWS pre-season poll.

Seeking their third consecutive winning season, the Tigers are led by senior centerfielder Kevin Collins, a pre-season All-Colonial Athletic Association selection. Collins batted .335 as a junior with 14 home runs and a team-leading 56 runs batted in. He was one of four Tigers who were named second team All-CAA in 2009.

Collins is one of three returning starters in the Tiger outfield. He is flanked by junior Austin Harclerode in leftfield and sophomore Ben Winter in right. A second team All-CAA honoree in 2009, Harclerode batted .329 with 9 homers and 29 RBI's as a sophomore. A member of the CAA's All-Rookie team, Winter hit .275 with 3 home runs and 17 runs batted in.

In spite of the loss of All-American shortstop Gary Helmick, '09 to graduation, the Tiger infield is solid, thanks to the return of shortstop Nick Natoli. Honored as the CAA's Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, Natoli suffered a pre-season ACL injury last February and missed the entire season. He is fully-recovered and ready to resume the form he displayed when he batted .349 with 3 homers and 37 RBI's as a sophomore. An outstanding defensive player, he was also named second team All-CAA as a sophomore.

Senior Steve Yarsinsky is a fourth-year starter in the Tiger infield. The Tigers' starting third baseman the last three years, he will move across the diamond and play first base this season. As a junior, he overcame an arm injury to bat .332 with 8 home runs and 49 RBI's. He enters his senior year with a .321 career batting average.

A second team All-CAA second baseman last year, junior Chris Wychock will take Yarsinsky's spot at third base. Last season, he batted .310 with 14 homers and 51 RBI's.

As he enters his 23rd season as the Tigers' coach, Gottlieb is confident that his team will score plenty of runs this season. His concern revolves around what happens in the other half of the inning.

Last year, the Tigers' pitching became a liability when injuries ravaged the staff. As a result, the Tigers set a school record with a 7.67 E.R.A.

"As a coach, you can never anticipate injuries," says Gottlieb. "Once we started losing pitchers to injuries, we were forced to use other pitchers who weren't ready. Some of our guys were overworked and they weren't as effective as they could have been. By the end of the season, we were almost out of pitching."

At least Gottlieb is entering the 2010 season with a much healthier pitching staff.

"While we have a lot of proven college hitters offensively, our pitching is largely unproven," he says. "However, we have some very good arms on this staff and we're expecting that our pitching will be much better as long as we stay healthy."

Junior righthander Spencer Patton, senior righthander Nate Curd and sophomore righthander Tyler Austin should form the nucleus of the Tigers' starting rotation.

Despite missing half of the 2009 season with an elbow injury, Patton managed to pitch in 14 games, compiling a 1-2 record with a 6.03 E.R.A. He was very impressive in the Fall and Gottlieb feels he could be the Tigers' ace pitcher.

Curd, who is likely to start the season opener against Elon, was primarily a relief pitcher last season and he tied for the team lead with five victories. The Tigers' most experienced pitcher, he has a career record of 10-12 with a 5.65 E.R.A.

Austin was the Tigers' top freshman pitcher last season and led the team by pitching 62.2 innings. Austin posted a 3-1 record with a 7.32 E.R.A. in 16 appearances.

Junior righthander Drew Permison returns in a new role for the Tigers. After starting 12 games last season, he should be the Tigers' closer this season. Permison posted a 3-2 record with a 6.24 E.R.A. last season. In his career, he has a 9-2 record with a 5.97 E.R.A.

After facing host Elon in the season opener, the Tigers will face North Carolina A&T in the second round. North Carolina A&T posted a 21-34 record last year. The Tigers close out tournament play on Sunday when they play Ohio University, a team that went 29-24 last season.

This weekend's appearance in the Elon marks the start of the most difficult schedule the Tigers have ever played. The Tigers, who will play their first 15 games on the road, will visit fifth-ranked Arizona State University for a four-game series on February 26-28. Last season, the Sun Devils competed in the College World Series.

Towson is also scheduled to play a three-game series at High Point on March 5-7 and visits Tulane University for a four-game series on March 12-14.

The Tigers open their home schedule at John B. Schuerholz Park on March 17 against Mount St. Mary's.

TIGER TIDBITS:  For the third year in a row, the Tigers will play a two-game series at nationally-ranked Virginia in late March ... The Cavaliers, who advanced to the College World Series last season, are ranked third in the pre-season polls ... Towson is carrying 18 pitchers on its roster ... Seven of the Tigers' pitchers are freshmen and one is a junior transfer.

Of the 35 players on the Tigers' roster, 23 of them are products of Maryland high school programs ... North County High School and Quince Orchard High School each have three alumni on the Tigers' roster.