Mansfield University softball standout Ashley Inman was expecting 2015 to be something special.

But she never could have imagined just how remarkable a story the season would actually become.

The stellar relief pitcher had completed her sophomore season in 2014 by helping the Mountaineers earn their first NCAA playoff berth and a good part of the team's success was credited to Inman who excelled in the playoff-run.

Her team-best 1.42 ERA was also the second-lowest in the PSAC and ranked 19^th in all of NCAA Division II. Inman didn't allow a home run in more than 54 innings on the mound and she held opponents to a miniscule .192 batting average.

Over a three-day span late in the regular season, she picked up critical wins over East Stroudsburg and Millersville which led to the NCAA bid. Inman then picked up the win in relief in a 9-4 victory over IUP in the NCAA Regional.

Although she posted a 7-2 record in 2014, Inman never started a game in the circle for the Mountaineers in her first two seasons. However, with the graduation of All-American Kate Pratt and senior Emily Crandell, Inman became the number one starter on the staff for 2015.

She couldn't wait for the summer to end and for the fall semester to start.

She was excited, but she had a feeling that something wasn't quite right.

During that playoff run at the end of the 2014 season, Inman starting experiencing headaches and vision problems. It got severe enough that she had to wear sunglasses, even in darkened conditions, because the light hurt her eyes.

Although Inman rarely complained, head coach Edith Gallagher was concerned enough to keep her star reliever out of a must-win doubleheader at Lock Haven.

Inman, who is a lead-by-example type of player and PSAC Scholar-Athlete, hoped that getting away from the academic pressures of school and the intensity of the playoff race would end the headaches and vision problems. She went home to Tunkhannock for the summer and tried to relax by playing in a male summer league.

The pain in her head and the sensitivity of her eyes remained and continued to get worse, however.  Now even noise bothered her.

Three days before classes started for the 2014-15 academic year, Inman asked one of her friends to drive with her to an appointment at a specialist's office. It proved to be a wise decision.

The MRI showed that the left side of her brain was pushed against her skull by a bleed, or hemorrhage, on her brain. The medical staff examining the images were stunned she wasn't in a coma and ordered immediate emergency surgery.

Six hours later, Inman was in the operating room with doctors removing part of her skull to be able to remove the bleed.

"I was more confused than scared at the time," remembers Inman. "I had to get a hold of my parents and they had to get to the hospital. Everything was happening very quickly and I wasn't quite sure what was going on or what was going to happen to me."

The surgery was successful and one of the first questions she had for the surgeon during a post-operative meeting was if she would ever be able to play softball again.

The doctor was so pleased with the procedure and with Inman's attitude that he told her that he believed she not only could play again but, with a little luck and hard-work in rehab, she could possibly even play in the spring.

Returning to softball wouldn't be easy but hard-work, dedication and willpower are staples of her personality and Inman was committed to making it happen.

She was back in school three weeks later, catching up on classes and meeting her teammates, including 10 newcomers, watching parts of fall ball from the safe confines of the dugout.

The recovery process demanded four months of relative inactivity before she could do organized physical activities. Because the surgery was on the part of her brain that controlled her motor skills, walking, and even standing, at times proved difficult.

On Dec. 18, 2014 – exactly four months from the day of the surgery – Inman was cleared to start practicing.

Conditioning in the best of times isn't fun but she actually was excited to be part of the team again during the early winter as she and her teammates prepared for the season opener.

The first games of the year were scheduled for Feb. 20 but because of the challenging weather in the east this year, the Mountaineers didn't play until March 8 when they faced Virginia State University in the opening round of the Shaw University Softball Challenge. Inman would start in the circle.

"I was really nervous," Inman remembers of the game. "The surgery wasn't on my mind as much of the fact that it was the first time I would be starting a collegiate game on the mound."

If she was nervous, it didn't last long. Donning a protective facemask that covers the front of her skull, Inman got the first batter to ground out to second and then struck out the next three batters she faced before giving up a single in the second inning. She allowed just one more hit while going the distance and striking out a career-best 11 batters in throwing a 6-0 shutout win.

Inman was recognized as the PSAC East Pitcher of the Week for that performance. More amazingly she threw 117.0 innings during the season with 15 complete games posing a 9-10 overall record with a 2.75 ERA ranking among the conference leaders in numerous categories after ending the season with a complete-game 3-1 win over Bloomsburg.

"I still get emotional about it," said head coach Edith Gallagher. "It was amazing to see her comeback and fight through everything she did and still have that desire to just come back. There was never a doubt in her mind that she would come back."

Inman admits that she never expected to do as well as she did this season, winning 75% of the Mountaineer's games. She still doesn't know what caused the bleed and can't afford another surgery that may tell her that answer or if it will happen again.
But she does know that softball is her stress reliever and what she loves to do.

"I love playing softball and I love being with my teammates and coaches," Inman says. "I was in a lot of pain before they found out what was wrong and sometimes I wonder why it happened to me. But I try not to think about what could have happen and instead be thankful that I'm still able to do what I love to do."