New Washington coach Lindsay Meggs worked his magic at Indiana State last season.

Now the Huskies hope Meggs once again shows some magic with his new program.

The Huskies haven't experienced much success the past few seasons and finished the 2009 campaign with a 13-14 mark in the Pac-10 and a 25-30 overall record. They also failed to make an NCAA regional.

Meggs and the Huskies hope to turn the corner sooner rather than later, but that may be difficult without several key players from last year's team.

The Huskies are without their top two hitters from a lineup that finished last season with a dismal .265 batting average. Additionally, the Huskies are without top reliever Brian Pearl and top starting pitcher Jason Erickson.

There's no question Washington has much rebuilding to do.

It's time to dissect the Huskies

Washington's five fall keys

1. Adapt to Meggs' way of doing things -- Meggs won a Division II national title at Chico State and also had Indiana State going the right direction. To say the least, Meggs knows exactly what he is doing and assembled a fantastic coaching staff in Seattle. Still, it'll be very important for the Huskies to make the transition to his style of play sooner rather than later. I can't tell you how many times I've seen teams resist and fail to adapt to the philosophies of a new coaching staff. In some instances, that occurrence really has set teams back. For UW's sake, let's hope that isn't the case with Meggs and the Huskies.

2. Replace Jake Rife and Kyle Conley -- The Huskies have much work to do at the plate, but their first order of business is replacing Rife and Conley. Rife led the team last season with a .328 batting average, six homers and 39 RBIs. Conley, meanwhile, was the club's main power producer. He batted .303 with 19 homers and 55 RBIs last season. UW doesn't return much firepower at the plate, but hopes a few newcomers can take some off the sting off the departures of the dynamic duo. Just remember, Rife and Conley were the only two hitters to finish last season with batting averages better than .300.

3. Find a way to improve at the plate -- It likely will take several newcomers to get this done, but the Huskies must improve at the plate if they want to take a step forward in the spring. They had one of the nation's worst offenses last season and finished the campaign with a dismal .265 batting average. Even more startling is the fact UW doesn't welcome back a player that finished last season with a batting average better than .300. That's just brutal. Pierce Rankin is the top returning hitter. He batted .299 with six homers and 26 RBIs last season. The Huskies also welcome back Caleb Brown, Brendan Gardner-Young, Andy Bethel, Aaron Russell, Doug Cherry and Troy Scott. Scott's return is a good one for the fact he slugged 11 homers and knocked in 31 runs last season. Can the Huskies find a way to surprise everyone at the plate?

4. Establish the weekend rotation -- The Huskies have some work to do when it comes to putting together the weekend rotation. Jason Erickson was the staff ace last season and compiled a 4.34 ERA in 74 2/3 innings. However, he signed a pro contract this past summer. The Huskies also are without Jorden Merry and Tyler Cheney, who combined for 16 starts last season. Andrew Kittredge is UW's top returning pitcher. He compiled a 4.27 ERA in 71 2/3 innings last season and held opposing teams to a .254 batting average. UW also welcomes back Geoff Brown, Adrian Gomez, Ben Guidos, Forrest Snow and Aaron West. These pitchers have potential to be good, but roles must be sorted out.

5. Replace relievers Brian Pearl and Seth Haehl -- On top of needing to replace their top two hitters, the Huskies also have the tough chore of replacing stud relievers Pearl and Haehl. Pearl made 23 appearances last season and had a 3.05 ERA in 38 1/3 innings. He also struck out 40 and walked 17 and limited opposing teams to a .229 batting average. Haehl, meanwhile, made 19 appearances and had a 3.09 ERA in 35 innings. UW's options in terms of returnees includes Geoff Brown, Aaron West and Forrest Snow. The multiple newcomers will have an opportunity to make an instant impact in the bullpen.