Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan has his program on the right track.

The Gators put together an impressive regular season campaign last season and earned a national seed with a 19-11 mark in the SEC and a solid overall record.

UF won the Gainesville Regional in convincing fashion and was a heavy favorite over Cinderella story Southern Mississippi entering super regional play. However, the Golden Eagles proved to be a stout opponent and the Gators were sent home for the season.

Though last season ended in disappointment and a failed bid to get back to the College World Series, it still was a successful campaign for the Gators.

Florida certainly has some tough holes to fill on the mound between now and the spring. But it welcomes back a solid nucleus both at the plate and on the mound.

It's time to dissect what the Gators must improve on before the spring.

Florida's five fall keys

1. Continue to build as a program -- The Gators always have had the potential to be a perennial power, and O'Sullivan appears to be closer to turning that dream into a reality. The Gators only have progressed since O'Sullivan arrived, and the team is expected to once again compete for a CWS berth in 2010. The Gators must get back to Omaha and establish consistency in campaigns after that to be considered a perennial power. But there's no question the Gators are on their way to doing some special things, possibly sooner rather than later. This program only will get better. That's scary to believe.

2. Replace the production and leadership of Avery Barnes and Brandon McArthur -- The Gators will have a tough time replacing Barnes and McArthur from a production and leadership standpoint. Barnes was a consistent producer for the Gators and McArthur had arguably the most inspirational story of any player the last four or five years. Barnes finished last season hitting .364 with nine doubles, six triples, eight homers and 42 RBIs. McArthur, meanwhile, batted .338 with three homers and 41 RBIs last season. Replacing the dynamic duo will be difficult, but the Gators have the personnel to overcome.

3. Reload at the plate -- The Gators finished last season with a solid .309 batting average and hope to take yet another step forward in the spring. That could be difficult with the departures of Barnes, McArthur, Mike Mooney and Buddy Monroe. Still, the Gators return a solid nucleus with Preston Tucker, Josh Adams, Matt den Dekker and Jonathan Pigott leading the way. Tucker hit .364 with 15 homers and 85 RBIs last season, Adams batted .342 with eight homers and 52 RBIs, den Dekker batted .296 with five homers and 37 RBIs and Pigott batted .357 with six homers and 32 RBIs. Even with a solid nucleus, the Gators still need a crop of talented newcomers to rise to the occasion.

4. Rebuild the bullpen -- The Gators welcomed some talented arms to campus this fall and also welcomed back Jeff Barfield and Greg Larson. However, replacing appearance leaders Tony Davis and Billy Bullock from last season will be difficult. Davis made 32 appearances and had a 2.25 ERA in 44 innings. He also struck out 37 and walked 18 and opponents batted .190 against him. Bullock, meanwhile, recorded 11 saves in 34 appearances and had a 2.64 ERA in 47 2/3 innings. Teams hit him at a .231 and he finished the campaign with 50 strikeouts. It'll be interesting to see how Barfield, Larson and some newcomers fair with more pressure in the spring.

5. Weekend rotation needs to build off last season -- The Gators are in excellent shape if last season was any indication about the future of the pitching staff. Florida welcomes back Alex Panteliodis, Nick Maronde and Anthony DeSclafani. All three were freshmen last season and rose to the occasion. Panteliodis started 10 games and had a 4.38 ERA in 63 2/3 innings, Maronde started 11 games and had a 4.40 ERA in 61 1/3 innings and DeSclafani started 11 games and had a 4.98 ERA in 65 innings. There's not a single reason why the Gators shouldn't have one of the nation's best rotations with this trio.