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

Yahoo Sports4h ago13 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

The Lincoln softball team, once struggling, has turned its season around with a 6-0 start, becoming a favorite in Division II. A standout freshman pitcher has been key to their success.

Key points

Lincoln softball team was once on life support in 2024
The team is now 6-0 in the 2026 season
A standout freshman pitcher is key to their success
The program hopes to build a strong feeder system from middle school
Sophomore captain Brooke Tillson expressed surprise at the team's success

Mentioned in this story

Brooke TillsonAlyssa McCoart

Lincoln LionsDivision II

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.”

Molly Ganim, Lincoln Softball

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.

The co-op with North Providence – a storied program in its own right – was a much-needed Band-Aid and with how it’s healed, Lincoln’s current stay in Division II doesn’t seem like it will last long.

Having a pitcher like Molly Ganim certainly helps. She’s been a known commodity in Lincoln for a while, starring for the Lincoln Middle School team that made the semifinals of last year’s RIIL Middle School State Championship tournament.

Six games into her high school career Ganim has made an impression this season and Thursday added to it.

She didn’t get the start against Barrington, but when McCoart called her name early in the first inning, Ganim was ready to take the ball. Down 2-0 with a runner on third, she gave up a sacrifice fly before putting a stop to the inning.

For the next five innings, Ganim was in control. Lincoln scored seven in the home half of the first and the freshman quieted the once-hot Barrington bats. The Eagles plated runs in the fourth and fifth – both off Lincoln miscues – but Ganim never once looked bothered by anything.