Look down the list of College World Series participants and you won't find East Carolina.

That should come as a surprise to most people.

Though the Pirates have been a consistent winner the past few seasons and reached an NCAA super regional last season, the program still has one final goal to reach to become one of the nation's elite -- it desperately needs a trip to Omaha.

There's a solid chance 2010 could be the year.

Sure, the Pirates have the tough chore of replacing key offensive cogs such as Stephen Batts, Ryan Wood, Brandon Henderson and Drew Schieber. They also welcome back several big-time hitters.

ECU also is in good shape on the mound where Brad Mincey, Kevin Brandt and Seth Maness spearhead a pitching staff that could be one of the nation's best.

ECU has the personnel to go the distance. Will it accomplish its biggest goal, though?

It's time to dissect the Pirates.

East Carolina's five keys

1. Think like a champion -- It's easy to be pessimistic about some things when you're in East Carolina's shoes. The Pirates have accomplished so much as a program, but still are lacking a trip to the CWS. Last season didn't help morale for a while. The Pirates fought back in the Greenville Regional to beat South Carolina. All appeared to be well, but then ECU made the short drive to Chapel Hill and was throttled by in-state rival North Carolina. That thrashing essentially put a damper on what, in my eyes, was a fantastic season. It's very important for East Carolina to realize that its time will come, perhaps sooner rather than later. Just remember, a few seasons ago many doubted North Carolina's ability to get to Omaha. ECU will get there. It's just a matter of when.

2. Move on without seasoned veterans -- The Pirates still will have a very productive offense, but there's no question they will miss Ryan Wood, Stephen Batts, Brandon Henderson and Drew Schieber at least for a while. Wood led the team last season with a .379 batting average, 14 homers and 57 RBIs. Batts batted .352 with 14 homers and 63 RBIs, Henderson batted .330 with 13 homers and 57 RBIs and Schieber batted .311 with eight homers and 52 RBIs. It'll be even more important for guys such as Kyle Roller, Dustin Harrington and Devin Harris to have big-time power campaigns with these guys. ECU should be fine, but this is a storyline to keep in mind.

3. Reload at the plate -- Even without a few key cogs from last year's team, the Pirates still are expected to have one of the nation's better offenses. ECU finished last season with a .339 batting average. Emulating that production may be difficult, but the Pirates definitely should hit in the .315-.325 range, if not better. ECU welcomes back several key hitters, including Trent Whitehead, Austin Homan, Devin Harris, Kyle Roller, Jared Avchen and Dustin Harrington. Whitehead batted .376 with seven homers and 47 RBIs last season, Homan batted .354 with 19 RBIs, Harris batted .344 with 14 homers and 48 RBIs, Roller batted .336 with 16 homers and 75 RBIs, Avchen batted .330 with two homers and 29 RBIs and Harrington batted .318 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs. There's absolutely no reason this shouldn't be a very productive lineup.

4. Weekend rotation needs to live up to hype -- You know things are going good for your program when you can lose a pitcher of the caliber of Chris Heston and still be just fine in terms of a weekend rotation. That's East Carolina's standing. Heston finished last season unbeaten and his loss certainly isn't welcomed. The Pirates, though, should be fine with the return of Brad Mincey, Seth Maness and Kevin Brandt. Mincey started 10 games last season and had a 3.16 ERA in 82 2/3 innings. He also struck out 71 and walked 22 and limited opposing teams to a .266 batting average. Maness went 9-3 with a 4.71 ERA in 107 innings. He struck out 83 and walked 18 and held teams to a .287 average. Brandt, meanwhile, went 9-2 and had a 3.64 ERA in 81 2/3 innings. He struck out 72 and walked 24 and held teams to a .240 batting average. There also could be other starting candidates to start by opening day. At any rate, this is unit I really like.

5. Build some bullpen depth -- The Pirates are expected to be fine in the bullpen, but still need to find a few more quality arms to hold the fort in tight situations late in games. Bailey Daniels had a great '09 campaign for the Pirates and is a tough loss for the program. But look for Seth Simmons and Patrick Somers to once again have productive campaigns. Simmons made 33 appearances last season and had a 3.69 ERA in 39 innings. He also recorded nine saves and held opposing teams to a .243 batting average. Somers, meanwhile, made 24 appearances last season and had a 5.64 ERA in 30 1/3 innings. He struck out 25 batters and limited opposing teams to a .261 batting average. Also keep an eye on freshman right-hander Joseph Hughes, who could factor into the equation as either a starter or reliever. If the Pirates choose to start Hughes, that, of course, would mean Brandt is back to the bullpen. Either way, it's a win-win situation. Still, I'd like to see a few more arms emerge between now and the spring.