Once on life support, Lincoln softball now has eyes on a title. Here's why.

LINCOLN – In 2024, the Lincoln softball team was at a crossroads. The Lions didn’t have enough to players to play and, to keep the program alive, needed to co-op with North Providence in order to save the season. Two years later, Lincoln is on a much different road.

Being one of the youngest teams in the state hasn’t prevented the Lions from being maybe the best story of the 2026 season. With a spectacular freshman in the circle leading the way, Lincoln has gotten off to an incredible start, with a 12-8 win over Barrington bringing its record to 6-0 and turning a plucky underdog into a bona fide favorite in Division II. “I was not expecting it,” sophomore captain Brooke Tillson said.

“I knew we had a good group coming in but for me, personally, from out last record I did not expect this. ” “Softball goes in waves across Rhode Island. Some years you lose players and some years you have a big class coming in,” said Lincoln coach Alyssa McCoart.

“This year we have a lot of freshmen that came into the program and have a lot of girls at the middle school as well and hope they continue to be that feeder program to keep us going in the right direction. ” Lincoln became one of the state’s top programs in the 2000s and won back-to-back state titles in 2012 and 2013, but dropped to Division II later in the 2010s. Participation numbers dropped, COVID didn’t help, and just before the 2024 season started, the Lions found themselves without enough players to have a season.