San Diego coach Rich Hill would be happy to go the rest of his career without emulating his program's 2009 campaign.

Everything that could've gone wrong for the Toreros went wrong.

They had to fight through several key injuries beginning early in the season. They also had consistency issues and compiled an unimpressive 11-10 WCC record. But not making an NCAA regional with a 29-25 record was the toughest pill to swallow for Hill and USD.

In addition to those things, USD lost pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Eric Valenzuela to crosstown rival San Diego State in the offseason.

To say the least, the Toreros can't wait for the '10 campaign.

There are several reasons why expectations are high entering the spring. The Toreros welcome back almost every key offensive cog. They also welcome back all three weekend starters and a crop of talented relievers.

USD isn't in perfect shape, but its prognosis certainly is good.

It's time to dissect the Toreros.

San Diego's five keys

1. Just forget about last season -- There's no question that last season was an aberration, at least in my eyes. It wasn't too long ago the Toreros earned a postseason national seed. They also have been a postseason mainstay the past few seasons. But last season, injuries and consistency issues caught up with them and they missed the postseason. I'll make a fearless prediction and say the Toreros return to a regional in '10. USD appears to be healthy and ready to roll. Now it's time to forget about last season and turn the page. The sooner that occurs the better off the Toreros will be.

2. Improve defensively -- It makes it much tougher to win when you play poor defense at times. That's exactly what the Toreros did last season and they suffered a few serious consequences. USD finished last season with a .961 fielding percentage, which ranked 161st nationally at the conclusion of the season. San Diego will have very solid units at the plate and on the mound in the spring. But whether or not it finds a way to reach the College World Series heavily depends on its fielding percentage improving. Look for the Toreros to make some loud noise if the defense comes around.

3. Weekend rotation needs to set the tone -- The Toreros return some talented hitters and relievers, but the weekend rotation is the strongest unit with the return of a trio of starters. The returnees include Kyle Blair, Matt Thomson and AJ Griffin. Blair had a 3.13 ERA in 54 2/3 innings last season. He also struck out 62 and walked 18 and held opposing teams to a .225 batting average. Griffin compiled a 3.33 ERA in 81 innings and limited teams to a .250 batting average. Thomson, meanwhile, went 5-5 with a 5.98 ERA in 81 1/3 innings. He held opposing teams to a .258 batting average. There's also a chance the Toreros will look to Darrin Campbell or Sammy Solis as starters, too. At any rate, there's no excuse for this unit not to be one of the nation's best.

4. Sort out the bullpen -- The Toreros have a special crop of relievers, but there's at least a little work to do in the bullpen. USD welcomes back Matt Hauser, Darrin Campbell and Sammy Solis. Hauser had a 4.82 ERA in 52 1/3 innings last season. Campbell had a 5.16 ERA in 52 1/3 innings and Solis missed most of the season because of an injury. In '08, though, Solis compiled a 3.83 ERA in 49 1/3 innings and held teams to a .268 batting average. Getting Hauser, Campbell and Solis back in the mix is huge, but the Toreros also need to find more bullpen depth. Still, the bullpen has a trio of pitchers that will serve as an incredibly strong nucleus.

5. Offense needs to emulate last season -- When the Toreros have had strong pitching staffs in the past, they've also had unimpressive offensive lineups. Well, now the Toreros once again have a strong pitching staff. Can they emulate last season's success at the plate? We'll find out sooner rather than later, but this unit will be fine. The Toreros welcome back several key cogs, including six hitters that finished last season with batting averages better than .300. Zach Walters, James Meador, Chris Engell, Steven Chatwood, Tony Strazzara and Kevin Muno hit over .300 last season. Bryan Haar and Victor Sanchez, meanwhile, are other key hitters to watch. This lineup may not hit .319 as it did last season, but it at least should come close. Better yet, perhaps it will best that mark.