ITHACA, N.Y. -- Returning a veteran squad, the Cornell baseball team opened practice for the 2010 season on Tuesday afternoon, splitting time between Hoy Field and the indoor Ramin Room. The Big Red will be trying to claim its second straight Ivy League Gehrig Division title after advancing to the Ivy League Championship Series a year ago.

Watch as Coach Bill Walkenbach talks about the 2010 season

Taking advantage of the lack of snowfall on Hoy Field, the Big Red was able to take batting practice outdoors before moving the workouts indoors. Ironically, the Big Red was outside on its first day of practice, while its early season opponents in the Mid-Atlantic region were blanketed by several inches of snow.

Opening up its second season under head coach Bill Walkenbach, Cornell returns a veteran squad in 2010, as six of the 10 starting position players and all six starting pitchers from last season are back. The Big Red also returns a trio of players who earned All-Ivy League honors last season as Cornell won just its second divisional title in program history.

Offensively, the Big Red is paced by sophomore Brian Billigen, who in 2009 became just the fifth player in program history to bat better than .400 with more than 80 at-bats, hitting .404 for the year. Billigen earned second-team all-league honors for his play in the outfield and in the leadoff spot in the order. He is joined by junior Mickey Brodsky, who earned honorable mention all-league honors after hitting .309 with a team-best 37 runs batted in.

On the mound, Cornell returns a trio of pitchers who struck out more than 40 batters last season in juniors Jadd Schmeltzer and Corey Pappel and senior Matt Hill. Schmeltzer led all starters with a 4.01 earned-run average, while fellow juniors Pappel and Brodsky both had a sub-6.00 earned-run average on the year.

The bullpen is anchored by first-team all-league closer David Rochefort, who set a Cornell record with eight saves last season. Rochefort enters this season just one save shy of the school record for a career. Last season, he had a hand in seven of the Big Red's 10 wins in league play, going 2-2 with five saves against Ancient Eight foes.

The Big Red opens up the 2010 season on March 12 with a contest at Villanova. That weekend, the Big Red is slated to face a trio of Philadelphia foes, also taking on St. Joseph's and Temple. Cornell makes its home debut on April 3 when reigning Ivy League champion Dartmouth visits Hoy Field for a noon doubleheader.