The recent weather has not been ideal for any baseball player, so it is understandable why the No. 22 OU baseball team is excited to start the season with a four-game series against the San Diego State Aztecs at 8 p.m. in San Diego.

But before the Sooners take the field, they have to address a few issues following a disappointing end to the 2009 season.

How will OU replace all of the talent it lost due to graduation and the MLB Draft?

The Sooners lost many players at key positions from last year’s team that was knocked out of College World Series contention in the Regional round at home. During the offseason, they were looking to find replacements for six starting positions: pitcher, including a Friday-night ace, catcher, first base, second base, shortstop and center field.

Head coach Sunny Golloway said he is anxious yet optimistic to start the season with this new roster to the point where the lack of sleep has become a running joke at his home between him and his wife.

“We’ve got to replace that, and we’ve got quality athletes to do that,” Golloway said. “We’re excited about what they’re going to be able to do.”

Two of the most important things about having a new team are finding leadership and creating chemistry between the older players and the newer faces. Sophomore Garrett Buechele, a 2009 freshman All-American and Big 12 Freshman of the Year, said chemistry will not be a problem this season.

“We’ve just got great ballplayers who keep coming in,” Buechele said. “I can only see our team going up from here.

Will the new-look pitching staff rise to the occasion this season?

Golloway said the two most important pitching roles are the Friday-night starter and the closer. OU remained safe at closer, but had to figure out who would replace pitcher Andrew Doyle, last years’ Friday-night starter, in the pitching rotation.

Teams can usually find someone who was a starter from the year before to fill that role, but the Sooners found their ace in a junior college pitcher, junior Zach Neal.

The right-hander from Flower Mound, Texas, played for 2009 National Junior College Athletic Association champion Howard College last season, and posted a 13-0 record with a 3.21 earned run average en route to a second team All-American honor. What was most impressive about Neal’s 2009 was his control and dominance around the place, recording 104 strikeouts and allowing nine walks in 89 2/3 innings.

Neal has already gained the respect of his teammates in his short time with the team, and Buechele said he is impressed by Neal’s arsenal of pitches.

“[Neal has] got three pitches that I think are almost unhittable,” Buechele said.

Golloway said he is still looking for the Saturday and Sunday starting pitchers, but with the depth of the pitching staff he does not plan on having any problems finding players for those roles.

The saving grace for this unfamiliar pitching staff will be its closer, junior pitcher Ryan Duke. His 16 saves and .212 opponents’ batting average last season earned Duke a 2009 third team All-American Award and a spot on the 2010 preseason All-American team.

Golloway said he thought about moving Duke into the starting rotation, but decided to keep the solid reliever in the closer position, a decision Duke said he does not have a problem with.

“[Closing is] a fun job,” Duke said. “It’s what I like to do.”

How much will the Sooners have to rely on small-ball to win games?

It is not a secret Golloway would rather win game by remaining balanced and playing small-ball than rely on the long-ball to get past his opponents. Granted, he is not against hitting three to five home runs per game, but Golloway and the Sooners may not have that kind of luxury after losing the majority of their power hitters from last year.

The Sooners hit 91 home runs in 2009, and they lost six players who accounted for 67 of those home runs. None of the returning players hit double-digit home runs, and junior left fielder Casey Johnson leads those players with seven home runs.

“Our power numbers fell dramatically,” Buechele said. “We still have guys who hit the ball a long way, we’ll still be a powerful club, but we will probably play more small-ball than we had to last year. We’ll still be all right.”