Tennessee third-year coach Todd Raleigh hopes 2010 is the year.

Raleigh and the Volunteers made a splash in his first weekend of the season back in '08. But since that point, the Vols have been anything but impressive.

Most recently, the Volunteers finished near the bottom of the SEC last season with an 11-19 record. They also finished the campaign with a 26-29 record.

Tennessee must make a statement in the spring.

The Volunteers have the tough chore of replacing top hitter Kentrail Davis and top pitcher Nick Hernandez. However, it welcomes back six key hitters at the plate and six pitchers that logged significant innings last season.

The '10 campaign will be the season Tennessee can make a statement.

Will the Vols finally turn the corner?

Tennessee's five fall keys

1. Forget about the last two seasons -- There's nothing the Volunteers can do about the failures of the last two seasons. Therefore, the only thing UT really can do is just move on and forget about what lately has transpired. That certainly is easier said than done, but is imperative for Tennessee's confidence as a team and program. Not only does that apply to the players, it also applies to the coaches.

2. Ride Cody Hawn and Blake Forsythe -- The Volunteers have two of the nation's best hitters in Cody Hawn and Blake Forsythe. They need to take advantage of that and essentially formulate their entire offensive plan around the dynamic duo. Hawn finished last season hitting .364 with 15 doubles, 22 homers and 81 RBIs. Forsythe, meanwhile, batted .347 with 13 doubles, two triples, 15 homers and 46 RBIs. With the amount of experience back at the plate, the Vols should be much improved offensively if Hawn and Forsythe continue where they left off last season.

3. Rise to the occasion at the plate -- The Volunteers finished last season with a .286 batting average. That's not horrible but it also isn't very good. Tennessee must improve offensively if it plans to make a statement in the spring. The good news is the Vols welcome back Josh Liles, P.J. Polk, Zach Osborne and Cody Grisham. Liles batted .313 with eight homers and 25 RBIs last season, Polk batted .298 with three homers and 21 RBIs, Osborne batted .281 with four homers and 33 RBIs and Grisham batted .239 with a pair of homers and 18 RBIs. It will be up to these guys and perhaps some newcomers to take the pressure off Hawn and Forsythe.

4. Bryan Morgado needs to step up -- Morgado is a fantastic prospect and was drafted in the third round as a draft-eligible sophomore this past summer. But on the collegiate level, the talented left-handed pitcher still has much to prove. He made 20 appearances and started five games and had a deplorable 6.36 ERA in 52 1/3 innings last season. He also struck out 75 and walked 36 and opposing teams hit .270 off him. Morgado is a guy that has the ability to be a front-line ace pitcher. The Vols need him to meet expectations to turn the corner in '10.

5. Pitching staff must improve -- Even more important than the offense improving, the Vols can't afford to have a repeat performance of last season on the mound. They finished the '09 campaign with a 6.16 ERA and didn't have a pitcher outside of Jeff Lockwood with an ERA below five. That's not very good and Lockwood has departed. That puts the pressure on Adam Adkins, Stephen McCray, Matt Ramsey, Will Locante and Steven Gruver to produce. The Vols also should get a boost from North Carolina transfer Rob Catapano, who was forced to sit out last season because of the transfer rule. In his last season at UNC, Catapano made 19 appearances, seven starts and had a 3.03 ERA in 38 2/3 innings. He could be a fantastic addition to this program.