It was a nightmare ending few expected. In a tie game against Bunn, a place in the third round of the 2014 NCHSAA state tournament at stake, Pam Pack head coach Doug Whitehead made his way to the mound for the second time in the seventh inning to strategize with ace Haley Hutchins.

Twenty-minutes later, sophomore Hailey Harris, Washington’s No. 2 pitcher, unexpectedly found herself on the mound with the bases loaded. An umpiring crew’s misinterpretation of a common high school softball rule, combined with the fact that neither team had formed a protest committee prior to the contest, forced Hutchins to the bench and left the team in a nearly inescapable situation. The decision, a verdict of sorts, resulted in a 3-2 loss, a dagger to the heart of a Washington team with aspirations that went well beyond the second round.

“What I should have done was taken that issue further than I did,” Whitehead said reluctantly. “During the game, I hate to say you learn from what you do, but I should have sat down on home plate and had them make a rule right there … We were as good a hitting team as I ever had last year with excellent pitching. I’m look forward to this year.”

Last year’s finish is something that likely still haunts those who played, a conclusion difficult for anyone to forget, but with the new season just days away, a reloaded Washington is looking for a shot at redemption.

Fielding a nice mix of veterans and youth, Whitehead will be without certain key contributors in 2015. Adriana Tyson, a .377 hitter in the middle of the lineup last season, waived her senior varsity campaign to prepare for volleyball at Lenoir Community College next fall. Nursing a shoulder injury, Harris will likely spend her year on the disabled list and junior Style McKissick, who anchored the bottom of the lineup with a .404 average, has announced she will not play.

Returning is Hutchins, however, the Eastern Plains Conference co-Player of the Year who batted .569 with three home runs and 24 RBIs. But it was on the mound where she made the most impact, proving virtually unhittable with a 0.71 ERA with 152 strikeouts, holding opposing batters to a .152 average. With the loss of Tyson and Harris, even more pressure will fall on Hutchins to perform down the stretch.

“Haley will have the load of the pitching and her stick, gosh, we can’t afford to not have her in the lineup … She has quickness, speed, an all-around ballplayer no doubt about it.

“She seems to have worked on her control and the good rise ball she had last year has only improved … She’s a workaholic, really works at it, and it’s nothing but credit to her.”

Also returning after a one-year hiatus is Catie Dority, who took last season off to focus on academics and will take the field for her third year of varsity softball. Dority should provide the spark Whitehead is looking for in the absence of certain key playmakers.

Other familiar names like catcher Allison Brantley, Chrissy McKissick and Haley Wright, the Pam Pack third basemen who will join Hutchins on the Pitt County Community College softball team next fall, are also returning for Whitehead.

“I really think we’ve got girls that want to play,” Whitehead said. “These girls have decided softball is what they want to do and are dedicated to it. There is a lot of camaraderie, no one getting down on anyone. All the girls seem to be working together well, as far as practice and hustle are concerned. I’m very impressed with what we have going right now.”

Washington can’t afford any intra-squad confrontation this season, as virtually all of the Eastern Plains Conference’s six teams have upgraded from last year. For Beddingfield, the storyline will be Hunt transfer Allison Pate, who led the Warriors with a 1.07 ERA and 131 strikeouts last season. Pate provides an instant upgrade for the Bruins and makes them, arguably, favorites to take the conference.

North Johnston, a team that finished 16-6 last season, returns all but one starter and North Pitt’s Grace Cochran, who hit .529 with 37 RBI as a freshman, is primed for another breakout season. Southwest Edgecombe and Farmville Central’s depth should also have them improving from sub-.500 campaigns in 2014.

Despite the improved competition, the objective is the same for Whitehead and the Pam Pack, which faces a grueling out-of-conference slate in the coming weeks with games against South Central, Riverside and Havelock.

“We’re just looking to have a solid season and get prepared early,” Whitehead said. “We have three games scheduled a week going into conference. With such a tough out of conference schedule, we’re looking to take experience from that and roll through the conference schedule.”

Washington opens the season on the road Monday at Edenton Holmes.