Utica, NY – The Utica College baseball team opens its 2011 campaign in Port Charlotte, Florida on Mar. 13. The Pioneers will face five opponents, three of which are ranked in the nation's top 25, in four days as they compete in the Snowbird Baseball Classic. Head coach Andy Weimer led UC to an overall record of 7-23, including a 2-10 mark in the Empire 8 Conference in his first season.

The spring trip will commence on Mar. 13 against the No. 1 team in the country, Heidelberg University. Utica will challenge the reigning Division III Champions in a single game scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Last season, Heidelberg compiled an overall record of 42-8 while winning the Ohio Athletic Conference title, the Mideast Regional title and the College Baseball World Series.

The following day, on Mar. 14, the Pioneers will take on The College of Wooster who currently ranks seventeenth in NCAA Division III Baseball. Last season, Wooster recorded a 34-9 overall record and won the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

On Mar. 15, Utica will play upstate rival No. 25 SUNY Plattsburgh. The Cardinals qualified for the SUNYAC Championship and finished its 2010 campaign with an overall record of 30-10, respectively.

The final day, on Mar. 16, the Pioneers will play a doubleheader featuring Montclair State University and Carthage College. Monclair recorded a 23-19 overall record and qualified for NJAC Championships. Carthage won the CCIW Baseball Championship, participated in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship while posting an overall record of 29-18 last year.

The Pioneers are led by senior third baseman Anthony Di Salvo (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville) (Washingtonville, NY), senior first baseman Adam Bittel (New Hartford, CT/Northwestern Region) (New Hartford, CT), and sophomore shortstop Chris Podlucky (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) (Grand Island, NY).

DiSalvo, who earned second team all-conference honors last season, is a team captain. Last season, he ranked second on the team with a .367 batting average. He also had a team-best 40 hits. DiSalvo scored 20 runs and posted 14 RBIs. He was also very dangerous when he got on base. Anthony was tied for second on the team with six stolen bases. In his career with the Pioneers, he has 84 hits, 39 runs scored and 27 RBIs. DiSalvo is also the Pioneers toughest out. In 266 career at bats, he has only struck out a total of 21 times.

Bittel, led UC in homeruns last season (seven), RBIs (27), and runs scored (21). As a junior, he played and started in 30-of-31 games and batted .276. The power-hitting first baseman had eight multi-hit games and four games with three or more RBIs, including a two-homerun, five RBI performance against Brockport. Bittel's slugging percentage last season (.543) was second on the team.

Podlucky, who was the College's representative on the Sportsman of the Year squad, returns and looks to build on his freshman year when he posted a batting average of .320. He was also third on the team with 31 hits. He played both shortstop and pitched, while competing in 29-of-31 games. When he was on the mound, he had an even record of 1-1, with an ERA of 3.77. In 13 innings pitches, he allowed seven earned runs on 17 hits, including six walks and five strikeouts.
Following spring break, the Pioneers return to action Mar. 26 as they travel to New Haven, CT to face Albertus Magnus in a doubleheader scheduled for 12 p.m.