San Diego State had been one of the most criticized programs of the decade for its inability to reach an NCAA regional. But the Aztecs silenced the doubters last season.

With ace right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg leading the way, the Aztecs put together a solid regular season campaign and finally tripped to a regional. It so happened to be the Irvine Regional, which was the nation's toughest, too.

With last season serving as a rallying point for coach Tony Gwynn and his program, the Aztecs now must also find a way to move on without Strasburg.

Accomplishing that goal won't be easy.

In addition to Strasburg's departure, the Aztecs also must find a way to replace fellow weekend starter Tyler Lavigne in addition to other often-used pitchers.

SDSU's offense, though, is in fine shape with the return of four hitters that finished last season with batting averages better than .300.

The Aztecs can return to a regional if the pitching staff rises to the occasion. It'll be very interesting to see what type of job new pitching coach Eric Valenzuela does without most key pitchers from last year's club.

It's time to dissect the Aztecs.

San Diego State's five keys

1. Use last season as a springboard -- The Aztecs haven't had too many reasons to feel confident the last five seasons, but everything should change after last season. No longer will SDSU feel like it can't make a regional. The Aztecs certainly have a plethora of holes to fill in the spring, but attitude and swagger shouldn't be underestimated. SDSU has gotten the biggest monkey off its back. Now it's time to establish some consistency. Can the Aztecs take another step forward in 2010? It won't be easy, but it's possible.

2. Move on without Stephen Strasburg -- Yeah, accomplishing this goal will be a little difficult. It might even be impossible. Some would say Strasburg was the best pitcher in college baseball history. Now the Aztecs must find a way to replace the hard-throwing right-hander. Strasburg had a magical '09 campaign. He compiled a 13-1 record and had a 1.32 ERA in 109 innings. He also struck out 195 and walked 19 and limited opposing teams to an amazing .172 batting average. Strasburg also signed with the Nationals as the first pick of the MLB draft this past summer. SDSU definitely will miss the righty.

3. Formulate the weekend rotation -- Strasburg's departure this past summer only was the tip of the iceberg for the Aztecs. They also must find a way to replace another weekend starter, Tyler Lavigne. Lavigne compiled solid numbers last season. He was 8-2 and had a 3.05 ERA in 94 1/3 innings. He also struck out 87 and walked 28 and limited teams to a .209 batting average. The Aztecs also lost Jon Berger to the draft. Berger had a 5.83 ERA in 88 innings last season. Without Strasburg, Lavigne and Berger, the Aztecs desperately need right-hander Ryan O'Sullivan to have a huge spring. O'Sullivan didn't have an impressive '09 campaign. He compiled a 6.79 ERA in 55 2/3 innings. He struck out 28 and walked 11 and teams hit .346 off him. The coaches are excited about the way O'Sullivan performed this fall, but he obviously has a tough hill to climb.

4. Establish more bullpen depth -- The Aztecs need a huge campaign from the bullpen with the weekend rotation in rebuilding mode. The bullpen itself, though, has much work to do between now and the spring. The Aztecs welcome back stud reliever Addison Reed, but don't have many front-line relievers returning. Reed made 25 appearances last season and had a 0.65 ERA in 27 2/3 innings. He recorded 20 saves, struck out 38 and walked seven. He also held opposing teams to a .200 batting average. Other returning relievers include Craig Rasmussen, Kegan Sharp and Andrew Leary. Rasmussen had a 4.05 ERA in 26 2/3 innings last season, Sharp made 19 appearances and had a 5.16 ERA in 34 1/3 innings and Leary had a 5.50 ERA in 34 1/3 innings. This unit will be OK if every returning reliever rises to the occasion. But this group definitely needs more quality depth.

5. Offense needs to meet expectations -- The Aztecs have the tough chore of replacing leading hitter Erik Castro, but otherwise are in solid shape at the plate with the return of several key cogs. The Aztecs finished last season with a .291 batting average and welcome back 10 hitters that earned significant playing time last season. That's a good starting point. The top returning hitters include Cory Vaughn, Mitch Blackburn, Brandon Meredith and Pat Colwell. Vaughn batted .328 with 10 homers and 51 RBIs last season, Blackburn batted .312 with 12 doubles and 34 RBIs, Meredith had a huge fall and batted .309 with seven homers and 44 RBIs in '09 and Colwell batted .300 with seven doubles and 15 RBIs. There's no reason the offense shouldn't be solid in the spring.