It's time for a new era in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Jim Wells directed the Crimson Tide for the last 15 seasons. But starting this fall, the Tide had a new field commander. He's Mitch Gaspard.

Gaspard earned a national name by guiding Northwestern State to a wealth of success in the Southland Conference. But after a few seasons as an assistant for the Crimson Tide, he was promoted to head coach after Wells retired at the end of the summer.

With a new look and attitude, the Crimson Tide hope to leave a lasting impression.

Gaspard inherits quite a squad.

Alabama must find a way to improve on the mound between now and the spring. But at the plate, the Tide couldn't get much better with the return of four key hitters.

It's time to dissect what Alabama needs to accomplish between now and spring.

Alabama's five fall keys

1. Adapt to Gaspard's way of doing things -- As with any coach, there are some things that Gaspard differs from Wells. For instance, the Crimson Tide has relied on the long ball the past few seasons. Gaspard, though, prefers to use a smaller ball approach at the plate while also being extremely aggressive both at the plate and in the field. There's no question that Gaspard wants to make the Crimson Tide even more hard-nosed. Sources say the players overwhelmingly supported Gaspard's promotion to head coach, so transitioning to his style shouldn't be difficult. Still, it's the first order of business for this program.

2. Replace key power hitters -- It's good the Crimson Tide plans to change offensive schemes considering the departures of Kent Matthes, Alex Kubal, Brandon May and Vin DiFazio. The foursome recorded 51 homers last season, which accounted for 48 percent of Alabama's home run production. That's difficult to replace. Matthes is the toughest player to replace. He earned All-American honors in '09 and finished his final season with a .358 batting average, 28 homers and 81 RBIs. He also slugged .858 and had a .458 on-base percentage. May, meanwhile, finished '09 with 12 homers. It'll be interesting to see who stands up from a power standpoint besides Jake Smith and Ross Wilson.

3. Reload at the plate -- Even without Matthes, May and a few other key offensive cogs, the Crimson Tide are in good shape at the plate with the return of Jake Smith, Ross Wilson, Taylor Dugas and Josh Rutledge. Smith batted .359 with 14 doubles, 18 homers and 54 RBIs last season, Wilson batted .353 with nine homers and 47 RBIs, Dugas batted .352 with 20 doubles, two homers and 27 RBIs and Rutledge batted .305 with five homers and 44 RBIs. The Tide may not have the big boppers like Matthes and May, but this lineup is expected to once again be one of the nation's best. It'll be difficult to match last season's incredible .330 batting average. It's something to shoot for, though.

4. Put together a solid pitching staff -- If there's one thing that has kept Alabama from reaching the College World Series the past few seasons, it's the pitching staff. UA finished last season with an excellent offense, but managed just a 5.13 ERA on the mound. That's unacceptable to everyone involved, especially Gaspard. The Tide hopes for better results with new pitching coach Kyle Bunn in charge. Bunn, of course, made the move from Clemson to Alabama in the offseason. He also has experience in the SEC as a former assistant for coach Mike Bianco at Mississippi. 'Bama must replace Austin Hyatt, but welcomes back a solid nucleus of arms, including Tyler White, Nathan Kilcrease, Jimmy Nelson, Adam Morgan and Adam Scott. This unit has the potential to surprise.

5. Find a consistent weekend rotation -- It's tough to win in the SEC or at any high level in college baseball without a consistently good weekend rotation. Alabama isn't working with that this fall. The Crimson Tide are without Austin Hyatt, who compiled a 3.76 ERA in 103 innings. They also must replace Del Howell, who started 11 games last season. Howell, of course, also finished last season with a dismal 6.33 ERA. At any rate, the Tide needs Adam Morgan and Adam Scott to rise to the occasion and stay healthy to compete for the SEC title in the spring. As with the pitching staff as a whole, this Alabama team could be fantastic if the weekend rotation turns out to be just decent. If not, the Tide will experience the same issues in regional play as they have the past few seasons.