Rob Luckey feels, well, lucky to be coaching Bothell High fastpitch softball this season.

He lives in Bothell, his wife and members of her family went to the school — and now he’s officially part of the Cougar clan.

“Now, I don’t have to defend myself at Thanksgiving dinner,” Luckey joked last Tuesday after practice, noting that he previously coached at non-Bothell schools like Inglemoor and Lake Washington.

“I like the community here. Even when coaching at other schools, I always kept an eye on (Bothell). This is a special place.”

Luckey — who took over the reins from successful longtime skipper Marlie Davis — had the Cougars firing on all cylinders with a 9-2 4A Kingco record at press time. Bothell tested its mettle against Inglemoor on Monday and will host Ballard at 4:30 p.m. today and play at Woodinville at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

The Cougar girls are glad to have Luckey on their side and feel they’re bringing their preseason goals of mental toughness, commitment and confidence to the field each day.

“I feel that coach brings out the best in us,” said junior second baseman Lacey McGladrey.

“And we don’t want to let him down,” added senior pitcher Ashleigh Carter.

Senior center fielder and leadoff hitter Madi Davis notes that Luckey asks the players “to get 1 percent better each day,” and adds that “as much as coach helps, so do our teammates. It’s really reaffirming.”

This means support on and off the field, including sitting down with each other before practice to tackle schoolwork.

“It’s your responsibility to say if you need help with something,” said senior catcher Ellen Bogardus as junior shortstop Britta McOmber nodded her head in agreement. The five girls interviewed said their combined grade-point average is a healthy 3.5.

“They’re smart. It’s like coaching a bunch of Eagle Scouts,” said assistant Tim Driver.

Added Bogardus with a laugh: “Softball, school and sleep … that’s how we like it.”

Before the girls headed off to the Ranch Drive-In for milkshakes and fries after practice, they covered all the bases regarding Bothell softball. First, Davis noted with a smile that there’s no drama with the girls — and everything seems to just flow from there.

The girls are hungry to challenge 4A Kingco teams and were especially proud of their recent 10-inning, 1-0 victory over Issaquah. Briana Kastnig’s hit scored McOmber and Carter notched a complete-game win with 12 strikeouts.

“We all go, ‘Hit the ball to me, I can make the play — I can do it, I can do it,”’ said McOmber on the players’ confidence.

On the offensive side, Carter adds: “You can trust anybody. It’s not just one through five and that’s it. We say, ‘Oh, good, they’re (another teammate is) up.’”

And it all begins with Davis in the leadoff spot, who gets a first look at the pitcher and apprises her teammates of the task at hand.

“A lot of people ask me if I feel any pressure,” Davis said. “I just get up and see the ball, hit the ball — it’s as simple as that.”

Finishing out their Kingco schedule will be tough, say the girls and coach Luckey. The Cougars know that every team they face can rise up and win, especially with the possibility of qualifying for the state tournament on the horizon.

“I really think we want to prove what we can do,” Carter said. “We do well under pressure.”

Added Luckey: “They believe (in themselves), which is huge because they’re in the toughest league in the state of Washington.

“They never give in, they have a real positive mental attitude.”