Spikes players arrived in State College this past Monday with barely enough time to breathe before looking for housing, beginning a three-day mini-camp and starting the season.

"They got off the plane; we went to work," said Spikes Manager Gary Robinson.

The Spikes kick off their season Friday in Williamsport against the Crosscutters and will then travel back to State College for the home opener at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday.

With only four players returning from last year's roster, the Spikes have high hopes that they will top last season's .500 record.

Fourth-round amateur draft pick Zach Von Rosenberg joins the pitching roster and shares the club's enthusiasm for winning. "We have the right team to do it here in State College," he said.

Von Rosenberg arrives with 10 international players from Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and South Africa. Also joining him are Mitch Fienemann and Jarryd Sullivan, the first two Australian players in Spikes history.

Including international players, the Spikes welcomed 13 players from the GCL and DSL Pirates to its roster.

Although they are relatively young, the players in this program are some of the top prospects in the league, says General Manager Jason Dambach.

Brooks Pounders, a 2009 second-round draft pick, and Zack Dodson, a 2009 fourth-round selection, also joined the pitching roster this season, as did State College Spikes veteran Teddy Fallon, who pitched in 17 games last season.

Pounders, who previously played for the GCL Pirates, had a strike-out nearly every inning at home last season and is ready to continue the hard work he saw in mini-camp. He is ready for the team to show up on the field and know it's better than the team sitting in the opposite dugout.

Most players have been participating in an extended spring training but recently welcomed draft picks whom Robinson believes will be promising. "The six guys from the draft are very impressive based on the round we got them," he said.

As the team hits the road for its Friday night game, Rosenberg prepares for his first professional pitching start.

"I want to pitch well and pitch well for the team," he said.

Coaches have not seen a whole lot of pitching from new players yet, but Robinson says this year's team will have more of a "pop" offensively than last year's club.

Robinson added that the team probably won't be setting any home-run records, but they will be multi-dimensional. Andury Acevedo, Justin Bencsko, Kelson Brown and Chase Lyles all had a batting average of .350 or more in their last season.

Gift Ngoepe, an international player from South Africa, said the Spikes have a good balance between pitching and hitting. He has high expectations for the 2010 season.

The majority of the roster won't be the only thing new to Medlar Field this season; for the first time in franchise history, the Spikes uniforms will have "State College" printed across the front, as well as player names on the back. Dambach believes this will help the fans to connect with the players and the program itself.