Rice had several injuries last season and still managed to reach an NCAA super regional.

It's only natural to believe the Owls will return to the College World Series in 2010. That certainly is the expectation in coach Wayne Graham's eyes.

The Owls were without starting pitchers Ryan Berry and Mike Ojala for some of last season. Berry has since signed a professional contract and Ojala continues to rehab. However, the Owls expect Ojala to be back midseason.

In the meantime, the Owls will lean on returning starter Taylor Wall to hold down the fort on the mound. The bullpen, meanwhile, needs to show improvement.

The Owls have zero question marks at the plate.

Rice finished last season with a high batting average and welcomes back every key player except Brock Holt, who finished last season with a .348 batting average.

Offense will be there for the Owls in the spring, but it'll be interesting to see how well the pitching staff progresses. With Graham in charge, there's a good chance the pitching staff exceeds expectations.

It's time to dissect the Owls.

Rice's five keys

1. Taylor Wall needs to have a big campaign -- It was a little surprising when Ryan Berry decided to sign a pro contract this past summer. But the Owls have known for a while they likely would be without Mike Ojala for much of the '10 campaign. That puts much pressure on Wall to have a huge campaign. He had a solid freshman campaign for the Owls last season. Wall made 15 starts and compiled a 3.72 ERA in 94 1/3 innings. He also struck out 77 and walked 37 and opponents hit him at a .243 clip. Additionally, Wall threw a pair of complete games last season. Ojala, whom the Owls hope can return to full strength in April, went 5-0 with a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings. Wall succeeded and gained a wealth of experience last season. That should propel him to new heights in '10.

2. Figure out the weekend rotation -- Barring a huge surprise, the Owls at least will be without Ojala for the first couple months of the season. Once he returns, though, you figure he will move into the weekend rotation with Wall. So, who joins Wall in the weekend rotation to begin the season? Jared Rogers is at least one good bet. Rogers has impressed the coaches this fall and did some nice things last season. He started eight games and had a 6.15 ERA in 45 1/3 innings. Teams hit him at a .297 clip. Rogers has potential, but there's no question he must greatly improve. Other pitchers that have left good impressions this fall include Doug Simmons, Anthony Fazio and newcomer Boogie Anagostou. It'll be interesting to see who the Owls trot out opening weekend.

3. Bullpen needs to improve -- The Owls didn't have a terrible bullpen by any means last season, but it wasn't a typical Rice bullpen. The Owls lacked a dominant arm. They welcome back several pitchers in the spring. The list includes Mark Haynes, Abel Gonzales, Andrew Benak, Matt Reckling, Matt Evers and Doug Simmons. Haynes and Gonzales each had ERAs under 5.00 last season, but Reckling had a 5.84 ERA, Evers had a 6.89 ERA and Simmons had a 13.50 ERA in just three appearances. Simmons will be interesting to watch, though. The Owls changed his arm angle this fall and that appears to be paying huge dividends. Newcomers to watch include Tyler Spurlin, Chase McDowell and J.T. Chargois. The Owls will be incredibly tough to beat if the bullpen steps up.

4. Offense needs to meet expectations -- The Owls are in cruise control if the offense meets expectations in the spring. The Owls batted .320 last season and welcome back every key hitter except Brock Holt, who signed a pro contract this past summer. Leading the way is Anthony Rendon, who batted .388 with 20 homers and 72 RBIs last season. Also keep an eye on Steven Sultzbaugh and Rick Hague. Sultzbaugh had a huge fall after slugging eight homers and knocking in 31 RBIs last season. Hague, meanwhile, batted .319 with nine homers and 57 RBIs in '09. Other key hitters to watch include Michael Fuda, Chad Mozingo, Diego Seastrunk, Jimmy Comerota, Craig Manuel and Jeremy Rathjen. Also keep an eye on Ryan Lewis and Michael Ratterree. Lewis is a two-sport player that could be a huge contributor in the spring. Ratterree, meanwhile, is a newcomer that has garnered a wealth of attention from Rice's coaching staff.

5. Build off last season -- Rice is a program that prides itself on reaching the CWS each season. But last season was one campaign where it can take solace from just reaching an NCAA super regional. The Owls were battered and bruised for much of last season and still found a way to win a regional and fight hard against eventual national champion LSU in the Baton Rouge Super Regional. Sure, the Owls would've liked to return to Omaha. But the '09 campaign was anything but a disappointment. Look for the Owls to use last season as a learning experience and to their advantage in the spring.