It has been six seasons since South Carolina made a June trip to Rosenblatt Stadium for the College World Series.

The hiatus, though, may very well end in 2010.

The Gamecocks finished last season with an impressive 40-23 record and reached the NCAA regional round. However, they dropped two consecutive games to host East Carolina to lose the regional. They also missed a chance at knocking North Carolina out of the postseason.

Hoping to build off last season's Greenville Regional collapse, the Gamecocks are motivated more than ever this fall and will enter the spring with some attitude.

There are plenty reasons to be confident.

South Carolina must find a way to replace key hitters DeAngelo Mack and Justin Dalles. But it also welcomes back five key hitters and a plethora of key pitchers, including starters Blake Cooper, Sam Dyson and Nolan Belcher.

The Gamecocks have all the tools to return to Omaha.

Will they meet expectations, though?

South Carolina's five fall keys

1. Use last season as motivation -- After putting together an impressive SEC record and storming into NCAA regional play with a solid resume, the Gamecocks were the favorite to win the Greenville Regional. After two days of tournament play, the Gamecocks appeared to be in good shape. East Carolina had to beat them twice. But in a disaster scenario, the Pirates did just that. They beat the Gamecocks twice to advance to the Chapel Hill Super Regional. No doubt the end of last season was disappointing for the Gamecocks. But instead of using last season as a negative, perhaps the Gamecocks can somehow turn it in to a positive from a motivation standpoint.

2. Replace DeAngelo Mack, Justin Dalles and Andrew Crisp -- The Gamecocks welcomed back several key hitters this fall, but there's no question Mack, Dalles and Crisp will be tough to replace from a power standpoint. Mack finished last season with 14 homers and 60 RBIs, Dalles blasted 15 homers and knocked in 47 runs and Crisp hit 10 homers and knocked in 53 runs. The Gamecocks still have power hitters such as Nick Ebert, Jackie Bradley and Whit Merrifield. Still, Mack, Dalles and Crips will be tough to replace.

3. Reload at the plate with a solid nucleus -- The Gamecocks may not be as powerful at the plate as they have been in the past, but perhaps that's not a bad thing considering it hasn't guided them to Omaha. Still, the Gamecocks welcome back some talented hitters, including Jackie Bradley, Whit Merrifield, Parker Bangs and Nick Ebert. Even Scott Wingo has the potential to be a productive hitter. Bradley batted .349 with 11 homers and 46 RBIs last season, Merrifield batted .340 with 11 homers and 49 RBIs, Bangs batted .328 with five homers and 36 RBIs, Ebert batted .321 with 23 homers and 72 RBIs and Wingo batted just .196 in 153 at bats. This lineup once again should hit around .310.

4. Weekend rotation needs to live up to expectations -- It has been a while since the Gamecocks had an elite weekend rotation. The '10 rotation could end that hiatus, though. The Gamecocks received a huge boost when draft-eligible sophomore Sam Dyson decided to return for his junior season. Dyson finished last season 9-4 with a 5.21 ERA in 102 innings. He also struck out 94 and walked 37 and limited opposing teams to a .237 batting average. South Carolina also welcomes back Blake Cooper and Nolan Belcher. Cooper was 9-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 86 innings last season. Belcher, meanwhile, ended last season with a 5.33 ERA in 82 2/3 innings. The weekend trio certainly had unimpressive ERA's last season, but everyone in the south knows their potential.

5. Bullpen must hold their own -- The Gamecocks welcome back a seasoned weekend rotation, but the bullpen also must do their job. The Gamecocks finished last season with a 5.07 ERA, and that number must improve. The good news for South Carolina is that it returns Michael Roth and two-way player Parker Bangs. Roth made 16 appearances and had a 4.22 ERA in 32 innings last season and Bangs made 15 appearances and had a 5.88 ERA in 33 2/3 innings. This unit needs to improve and should in the spring with more experience.