SLIPPERY ROCK — Wind howling, snowflakes swirling, skies darkening — this is baseball season?

It was for 44 players trying out for the Slippery Rock Sliders Frontier League expansion team at Slippery Rock University on Sunday morning.

"I'm gonna let you guys run with the wind behind you, give you a little push downhill,"Sliders manager Greg Jelks said jokingly before timing position players in the 60-yard dash.

None of the Sliders hopefuls seemed to mind the elements.

"Everybody here — this is what we wait for,"Butler graduate Jason Kneidinger said.

Kneidinger, also a graduate of Butler County Community College, became the Pioneers' first NJCAADivision IIIAll-American in 2003, batting .413 with 15 stolen bases that year.

The outfielder has been playing most recently for Evans City in the Eagle County League while working in construction.

Seneca Valley and Slippery Rock University grad Nathan Statzer has been playing in the Eagle County League as well. His last year of college ball was 2004, when he hit .444 with five homers, 18 stolen bases, 48 runs scored and 84 hits.

Statzer had reconstructive knee surgery two years ago, but has since returned to play in the Pittsburgh Federation League and for Zelienople of the Eagle County League.

"My knee's 100 percent and I'm here to see what I can do,"Statzer said. "This is kind of my last shot as a player, I guess. If I'm not offered a contract, that'll be it."

Statzer is an assistant coach under Dave Florie with the Butler varsity baseball team this spring. He's been a substitute teacher at Mars, Seneca Valley and Butler.

"I've always wanted to teach and coach,"Statzer said. "I'm learning under one of the WPIAL's best in Dave Florie. I'm anxious to begin that career."

Former Butler pitcher Josh Marchinoski, 2-0 as a freshman at BC3 this spring, tried out Sunday figuring he wasn't going to make the squad.

Jelks is looking for pitchers who can throw 88 mph. Marchinoski's fastball hits about 81.

"Basically, I'm here to see where I stand,"Marchinoski said. "This is a good way to gauge where I'm at as a player.

"My plan is to transfer to a four-year school eventually."

The 44 players on hand for the tryout came from 12 states. Former SRUpitchers John Katich, Mike Sikorski and Rocky D'Angelo were among those trying out.

Katich, 13-9 with a 3.55 earned run average for The Rock from 2002-05, signed a contract with the Sliders after the tryout. The team also signed shortstop Omar Quiles, who hit .342 while leading Francis Marion (S.C.) University to the DivisionIIWorld Series, and left-handed pitcher Justin Robinson, who was 1-2 with a 3.16 ERAfor the Frontier League's Chillicothe Paints in 2004.

Three other players have been offered contracts, but have yet to return them.

"Teams usually find two or three players from open tryouts like these,"Sliders general manager Steve Tahsler said. "They're worthwhile because these tryouts give local players a chance to show what they can do."

Despite the weather conditions Sunday, pitchers were able to throw off an indoor mound, hitters took swings in indoor batting cages, position players made throws on the artificial turf at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.

"I'm looking for athleticism,"Jelks said. "I've been in this game for 26 years. I'm no dummy. I can tell if you can play a little bit."

A second tryout camp is scheduled May 7 and 8 at Falconi Field in Washington, Pa. That camp will be leaguewide with 150 to 200 players trying out.

"Guys who came close here may want to take a second shot there,"Jelks said.

Each team must draft at least three players from the league tryout camp.

The Sliders open their two-week training camp with 35 players May 9 at Critchfield Park. Jelks will keep 24.

Katich and former SRUteammate Jason Curry, a Slippery Rock graduate, will be two of the 35 players in camp.

"For a Division IIplayer to make a Frontier League roster is a big jump,"SRUcoach Jeff Messer said. "You can take the top 30 Division I baseball teams in the country and only 20 percent of the players could make a professional baseball roster."