Maybe it’s the weather.

Or maybe it’s the fact that the UW softball team starts its season this week.

But spring is in the air, and I’m positively excited.

It’s cliché. I know. But spring is a time of renewal, and with UW sports, this is no exception.

Naturally, the first thing that comes up when you think of spring sports is softball, especially here at the UW. And this year will be no exception as the UW softball team goes on a quest to repeat their NCAA title.

Danielle Lawrie showed that she not only dominated college hitters last year, but she also struck out every journalist and media member in Seattle in a one-time challenge to see if anybody, anybody at all, could land bat to ball. Nobody could.

But it’ll be another tough road — quite literally — for the Huskies, with 19 games away from home to start the season and plenty of tough conference matchups later on.

But when the lights come on for the first time at Husky Softball Stadium in early March, I’m sure Lawrie and the rest of the Huskies are going to expect nothing less than a return trip to the finals.

On the other side of Husky Stadium, the Lindsay Meggs era of UW baseball has already begun. Even though the Huskies don’t play their first game until next weekend, they’ve been practicing since the beginning of the month. Meggs turned Indiana State around in his three years in Terre Haute, Ind., and was hired by athletic director Scott Woodward to energize a lackluster UW team. He should start putting renewed focus on a program that has, for some time now, been a middle-of-the-road Pac-10 team.

The UW baseball team returns with plenty of talent recruited by former-coach Ken Knutson and will feature some of Meggs’ own recruits. And despite losing one of the most prolific home-run hitters in UW history, Kyle Conley, the Huskies shouldn’t take a step back.

But if baseball and softball aren’t your favorite, there’s always spring football to look forward to.

Quarterback Nick Montana, who will enroll in spring, and running back Deontae Cooper, who enrolled this quarter, should both be in uniform and participating in practice, possibly working with Jake Locker in what has to be the best chance for fans and journalists to see how the Huskies will shape up in preparation for the 2010 season.

But aside from the opportunity to watch Steve Sarkisian’s building blocks in action, what could be better than meeting and chatting with NFL Hall-of-Famer and Montana’s father, Joe Montana.

So if the UW basketball team doesn’t make the NCAA tournament, don’t worry. There will be plenty to see this spring.

Reach columnist Allen Wagner at sports@dailyuw.com.