Ellington

When Kaitlin Inglesby goes to bed at night, she doesn’t think about the 25 games she won last season or her 2.38 ERA. She doesn’t think about the .422 batting average she accumulated or the 11 home runs she belted.

Inglesby doesn’t think about all the things she accomplished last year during one of the most impressive freshman seasons in Washington softball history. No. Instead, she thinks about what she and the Huskies didn’t accomplish.

She thinks about that 6-3 loss to Missouri in the UW’s Super Regional, the one that left them two games shy of advancing to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla. And she thinks about what it’s going to take to get there this year.

“I thought I knew what I was playing for,” Inglesby said. “But until you don’t make it, and you work for nine, 10 months straight for one thing, every single day, and you don’t get there, it’s pretty bitter. You know that you never want to feel that again, and I never want to feel that feeling again, of not being where we should have been.”

And this season, the job of getting the Huskies back to Oklahoma City, where they won the national championship in 2009, will be Inglesby’s more than anyone else’s.

Because while she stews about coming up just short, UW fans are drooling, thinking about the numbers that Inglesby put up last season.

The budding 6-foot-1 star almost literally did it all as a freshman, both in the circle and at the plate. Her .422 average ranked third on the team and her 11 home runs ranked second. She was the starting pitcher in 20 of the team’s final 23 games of the year, against some of the toughest competition in the country.

In short, she looked every bit the heir apparent to Danielle Lawrie, the two-way star whose right arm and bat led the Huskies to that title in 2009. Inglesby should fill a similar role this season, serving both as a workhorse on the rubber and a potent force in the middle of the UW lineup.

It’s not in Inglesby’s nature to rest on her laurels, though. Instead, the sophomore spent the offseason getting better and stronger, after, she said, realizing that the tremendous workload she carried last season wore her down.

“When the season ended, I could tell I was just kind of running on adrenaline, in the moment, and never really saw it while it was happening,” she said. “But once we came back, I definitely realized that I wasn’t as strong as I thought I was.”

That rededication has already had an obvious impact, head coach Heather Tarr said.

“She hasn’t changed, she’s just a better Kaitlin,” Tarr said. “She’s thinking better, she says better things. She kind of talks the talk and walks the walk, whereas last year, she could kind of walk it, but she couldn’t talk it.”

Combined with the other pieces Tarr brings back from last year’s 37-16 campaign, a better Inglesby could be exactly what the Huskies need in order to return to Oklahoma City.

There’s lightning-quick centerfielder Kimi Pohlman, who hit .432 and swiped 25 bases last season. There’s designated player Niki Williams, one of the best right-handed hitters in the nation, who jolted 14 home runs and slugged .727 in 2011.

While four members of this UW squad remain from the national championship team, Pohlman and Williams are the last two who played significant roles. Williams burst onto the national scene with three home runs during the World Series, while Pohlman scored what proved to be the series-winning run in the final against Florida.

The pair would like nothing more than to be able to share that experience with a whole new crop of Huskies.

“I wish for everyone else that’s sitting in that locker room to experience the same thing that we’ve gotten to experience,” Pohlman said. “It’s not like we’re ever going to sit and say, ‘Oh, one national championship is enough.’ Everyone’s really eager to take each day at a time, but at the same time, that’s our goal, that’s what we have in mind, is getting back to the World Series and getting another national championship.”

Of course, players on every team in the country say the same thing every February. Optimism is nothing without opportunity. With a better, more prepared Inglesby, though, the Huskies have all they need to return to the promised land.

Reach reporter Kevin Dowd at sports@dailyuw.com or on Twitter @kevindowd.

Impact freshmen

Four freshmen figure to make a significant impact this season — in fact, the UW’s starting infield for Friday’s season-opener against Nebraska may very well include three newcomers.

Here’s a brief look at each of these freshmen, along with a statement about each from head coach Heather Tarr.

Kimberlee Souza, SS

5-foot-3, from Waialua, Hawaii

Souza figures to slide right into the starting shortstop position occupied by Jenn Salling for the past three years. She’s a slugger who hit .630 last season as a high-school senior.

Tarr’s take: “She’s definitely not a Jenn Salling, but she does a lot of different things. She’s a great leader — she’s kind of one of those people that can bind people together, kind of like Magic Johnson.”

Kylee Lahners, 2B

5-foot-8, from Laguna Hills, Calif.

Lahners is the most highly touted member of this group of freshmen, an offense-first slugger. She was widely regarded as one of the top 10 recruits in the country last year — when she was a consensus All-American and USA Junior National Team member — and should be the Huskies’ starting second baseman.

Tarr’s take: “She’s a hitter. The kid can hit, that’s what she’s about. At second base, if our pitchers do what they should do, we’ll be all right. We don’t recruit defenders.”

Courtney Gano, 3B

5-foot-9 from West Covina, Calif.

The rangy Gano is fighting with Jerrin Fa’asua to take over at third base, a spot that was occupied by Morgan Stuart for the past three seasons. She also hit .630 and slugged 1.000 as a high-school senior.

Tarr’s take: “Very athletic. She’s strong, she’s pretty quick for her size. … She’s fun to watch. She made some cool plays in the NPF game (against a National Pro Fastpitch all-star team).”

Kasey Stanchek, P

5-foot-9 from El Dorado Hills, Calif.

While Inglesby prefers to throw it by batters, Stancheck is more of a finesse hurler, described by UW pitching coach Cindy Ball as a “thumber.” She appears to be slated as the Huskies’ No. 3 pitcher, behind Inglesby and sophomore Bryana Walker.

Tarr’s take: “Kasey’s more of a locator, not as overly dominant with her speed, but she’s going to thrive on hitting her locations and moving the ball.”