When Brian Shoop left Birmingham Southern for UAB, he dreamt of guiding the Blazers to an NCAA regional.

Perhaps his wish isn't too far from becoming reality.

There's no question the Blazers still have much work to do to join the regional discussion, but the program at least is heading the right direction.

UAB took a step forward last season by finishing the campaign with a 31-26 record. It still has work to do in Conference USA, however, after ending league play with an 11-12 mark.

The good news is hope is alive and well in Birmingham, Ala.

The Blazers welcome back several key hitters from last year's team, so offense isn't much of a concern. The pitching staff welcomes back a few seasoned arms, but this unit must improve and become much more consistent.

It's time to dissect the Blazers.

UAB's five keys

1. Keep making progress -- The Blazers have come a long way in the last year. Two seasons ago, UAB finished the season with a 26-34 record and were near the bottom of the league standings. Last season, though, UAB made a huge push forward and finished sixth. It also compiled a respectable overall record. UAB has made major strides in the talent, attitude and production department. Now it's all about continuing to improve and consistently putting all the pieces together. We'll see if Shoop and his staff can get it done.

2. Starting pitching must be better -- The Blazers return a pair of weekend starters in Shay Crawford and Kyle Roberson. They also lost a weekend starter in Beau Pender. But his loss shouldn't hurt them after he finished last season with a 6.16 ERA in 61 1/3 innings. Crawford and Roberson must be much better in the spring. Crawford was the staff ace last season and had a 5.14 ERA in 77 innings. He also struck out 71 and walked 36 and held opposing teams to a .283 batting average. Roberson, meanwhile, had a 5.69 ERA in 80 2/3 innings and teams hit .296 off him. The Blazers could take a huge step forward if the starting pitching improves.

3. Bullpen must rise to the occasion -- The Blazers finished last season with a rather unimpressive 5.91 ERA. You can put the blame on the bullpen. UAB had one often-used reliever -- Mark McKinley -- that finished last season with an ERA lower than 5.00. That's not good news if you're a team hoping to make another huge push in the spring. McKinley made 17 appearances last season and had a 4.12 ERA in 19 2/3 innings. Other returning relievers include Blake Huddleston, Nick Graffeo, Tristan Farrell, Colin McMurry and Trey Vice. Huddleston made 19 appearances last season and had a 5.37 ERA in 55 1/3 innings, Graffeo had a 5.88 ERA in 33 2/3 innings, Farrell had a 6.00 ERA in 51 innings, McMurry had a 6.16 ERA in 30 2/3 innings and Vice had an 8.03 ERA in 12 1/3 innings. We'll see if this unit is ready to elevate its game.

4. Emulate last season's production at the plate -- There's no reason why UAB can't emulate last season's offensive production. They finished last season with a solid .305 batting average. Sure, the Blazers must find a way to replace key hitters Brint Hardy and Cody McMurry. But they also welcome back several key hitters, including Digger Towe, Andrew Manning, Jonathan Merritt and Jamal Austin. Towe batted .353 with nine homers and 61 RBIs last season, Manning batted .318 with 10 homers and 44 RBIs, Merritt batted .317 with a pair of homers and 30 RBIs and Austin batted .297 with 20 stolen bases. The Blazers also have high hopes for Nick Crawford and power hitter Luke Stewart. This UAB lineup has some consistent hitters nestled with some power hitters. That usually is a good recipe for success.

5. Improve defensively -- Besides the bullpen, the other area of major concern is team defense. The Blazers finished last season with a .957 fielding percentage, which was good enough for 197th in the nation. That is unacceptable. If the Blazers want to take a step forward and be a regional contender, its defense must improve. It'll be interesting to see how many strides the team can make in this category in a matter of a few months.