It was another great year for Lincoln baseball, as the Bulldogs made Super Regionals for the second straight season and did so with many newcomers and new faces contributing.

Lincoln (22-16) fell in two games to Jones in the super regionals earlier in May, as the Bulldogs ended their season in the round before the Class 3A State Tournament.

The Bulldogs lost 4-3 and 6-2 in the best-of-three series at Jones.

"I want to give a big shout out to Jones," said Lincoln head coach Greg Harmon. "They were great hosts to us. We look forward to more potential games with them moving forward."

In the first game, Lincoln had many chances to close things out, as the Bulldogs led by a run or more three different times in the game.

Cole Dooley converted a hit-and-run in the top of the 1st to score junior Carter Ricke all the way from 1st base, putting Lincoln up 1-0.

The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead in the 5th, thanks to a leadoff double from freshman Aiden Hendren. He was bunted over on a sacrifice by Lane Hunter and later driven in on a sac fly from Cade Ryan.

Ricke was outstanding on the mound for the Bulldogs in the Game 1 loss, allowing just three hits and a run through five innings.

"As usual, we got some really great pitching performances," said Harmon. "Ricke threw well enough to win Game 1. Ricke got us through 5 strong and then we loaded the bases with no outs in the 6th."

Hendren releived Ricke and performed well, going the final 3.2 innings, allowing four hits and three runs while striking out six.

"Hendren had a huge performance for us," Harmon said. It's so cool to be able to bring a kid into such a tight spot and he finds a way to get us out with minimal damage."

Jones scored a run in the 6th to cut the lead to 2-1 before Lincoln had a chance to close it out in the 7th.

The Bulldogs were just a pitch away several times in the bottom of the inning but Jones continued to fight.

"We were one pitch away from winning Game 1," Harmon said. "We had two outs and no one on. We had a couple borderline calls go the other way that led to a walk. It was a little bit of a Murphy's Law game. Things that haven't gone wrong for us all year happened. Despite that, we were in position to win."

A great defensive play by junior outfielder Chandler Cozbey almost ended the game at 3rd but an unfortunate bounce gave Jones more life and tied the game at 2-2.

"After the two out walk in the 7th, Jones tries to go first to third on a single," Harmon said. "Cozbey threw a strike from center to third. It was going to be a perfect long hop to McCants to apply a tag and end the game. Bad luck led to a deflection off of the runner that went into the dugout. Instead of game over, the game was tied."

After both teams scored in the 8th, Jones had the final at-bat in the 9th and came through with some timely hitting.

"They hit the ball when it mattered most, so give them credit," Harmon said. "They earned it. It was a heartbreaking loss to say the least. Baseball is a game that can do anything at any time. You can make the right play, hit a line drive, and still come up short. That's what happened to us in Game 1."

Dooley was 3-for-5 with a double in the loss, while senior Luke McCants was 2-for-4 with a double, as well. Beaux Brumble also doubled for Lincon 

The Bulldogs fell behind early in the second game, as Jones led 2-0 after an inning and 5-0 through two.

"For any high school team, turning around and playing for your life is incredibly difficult after a loss," Harmon said. "In the back and forth nature of Game 1, it stands to reason the team that came up short in Game 1 would have a tough time bouncing back in Game 2."

The Bulldogs had just five hits in the Game 2 loss, as Ricke was the only Lincoln hitter with an extra base hit, an RBI double.

Nonetheless, Lincoln won 10 straight games before the Super Regional losses after winning a district title, something Harmon is proud of.

"I'm so proud of our kids and program," he said. "We battled all year, going back to the winter months even. They played with heart and grit and accomplished a lot together. I'm grateful to them and our families for a great season. We won a tough district, went 3-0 in regionals, and had chances to not only win game one of supers, but sweep. It was right there for us. We will come back hungry to make it right next season, I can already tell."

The program continues to push forward, as Harmon and his group have taken big steps in just the second year under the head coach.

"I love this school, our program, and our kids and I look forward to to the opportunity to take this program to the next step next spring," he said.

A host of Bulldogs were honored by the district coaches, as well as at the team banquet last week.

Ricke was named Pitcher of the Year by the district, after the junior had a stellar year on the mound.

He was 6-0 in 10 starts, finishing with a 1.28 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He had 60 strikeouts across 60 innings on the year.

Ricke was also named the Co-Pitcher of the Year with Carter Hunter by the Lincoln coaching staff.

Hunter was selected as an all-district pitcher to the 1st-team, as be finished the year 7-0 in eight starts across 56 innings.

He had a 2.50 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP with 46 strikeouts. 

McCants was great in his final season as a Bulldog, as he was named 1st-team all-district infield and the Offensive Player of the Year within the program.

McCants hit .315 in his senior season with a team-high 10 doubles. He also hit two homers a and had 29 RBIs along with 10 steals.

He also made seven starts on the mound, going 3-1 across 36.2 innings with a 4.39 ERA..

Hendren was also 1st-team all-district infield and the Rookie of the Year for Lincoln.

The youngster made just one start on the mound but appeared in 13 games as a pitcher. He was 3-for-3 in save opportunities and had a 4.61 ERA with an impressive 41 strikeouts across 30 innings.

At the plate, Hendren led the team with a .366 average and a team-high 41 hits. He had seven doubles, a homer and 30 RBIs to go along with 11 steals. 

Cozbey and Lane Hunter were selected as 1st-team all-district outfielders and both were honored by the team, as well.

Cozbey was named the Bulldog Award winner, while Hunter earned the Slugger of the Year.

The junior, Cozbey, hit .260 for Lincoln but had a .415 on-base percentage. He had four doubled and three triples, as well as a homer and 15 RBIs from his leadoff spot. 

Cozbey also was a key starter for Lincoln, taking the ball in eight starts to the tune of a 4-0 record. He had a 2.94 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP with 32 strikeouts across 35.2 innings.

Hunter hit .294 but led the team with a .492 on-base clip, a .518 slugging percentage and a 1.009 slugging percentage.

Hunter also had a team-high four homers, as well as 18 RBIs and led the team with 17 steals. 

Cole Dooley was also selected to the 1st-team all-district squad as a first baseman.

He hit .265 for Lincoln this spring and had a .444 on-base percentage. Dooley had 18 RBIs and 23 runs scored, while also walking 33 times and swiping eight bags.

Freshman Jaxon Crumbliss was named 2nd-team all-district catcher, as well as the Defensive Player of the Year by Harmon and staff.

He hit .253 for the Bulldogs with a .413 on-base percentage. He had five doubles and four triples, along with 17 RBIs. He also had a .983 fielding percentage and just four errors on the year.

Beaux Brumble was named 2nd-team all-district infield and Cade Ryan was selected as 2nd-team all-district outfield.