Lincoln Christian recently wrapped up its first fast pitch softball season under head coach Greg Harmon, as the Bulldogs made big strides in 2026.

Lincoln finished 11-15, falling in the regional tournament to eventual state qualifier Keifer.

But after Harmon was named the head coach late into July, things went about as well as one could expect in his first year at the helm.

"With the situation being what it was as far as the late coaching change and with the youth that we had on the field all year, there's definitely opportunity for growth, which I'm excited about, but also reason to be proud of what they accomplished," Harmon said.

Lincoln finished 4-8 in district play in 2026, which included an Adair team that won 30 games and made the state tournament, as well.

"They had their backs against the wall pretty much from the jump and never once had a resistance to coaching," said Harmon. "Never once did I feel like they gave up in situations that were bleak at best. Just their attitude and their effort and their coach-ability as a group I'm really, really proud of."

Lincoln finished as the runner-up in the three-team regional that also featured Roland, who the Bulldogs beat 11-9 to keep their season alive.

"We went to Keifer as the 3-seed," said Harmon. "Keifer obviously made the state tournament. In a three team regional as the three seed, you're supposed to win zero games, lose two games and go home. That's what you're supposed to do."

"Kiefer is really, really a really good team. They beat us in game one and we played Roland in game two. They were better than us. They had every right to believe that they were going to beat us, but our kids as they do, responded really well and performed well and beat a team that on paper looked like they could be the better team."

Harmon was proud of his team for fighting, like they had all year, and living to play another day.

"But it's like I told the girls after that game, that's what what we do at Lincoln. We find where our ceiling is and push through it just a little bit and that's what we did. I'm really proud of them for that season."

"Obviously ended the next day with Kiefer, but overall just what a great group of kids to be around and to coach and to go through a season with."

The Bulldogs had several big wins throughout the year, beating No. 10 (2A) Oktaha, Booker T Washington in Class 5A, Cleveland and Inola from Class 4A and sweeping Salina in district play.

"I personally had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed getting to lead that team and like I said, there's opportunity for growth moving forward and I'm excited about that."

This week, Harmon and his team had their annual end-of-season banquet, where the head coach honored his three seniors, who were all recognized with Bulldog awards.

Haylee Delozier was the Bulldog of the Year, while Ivy Wheeler won the Defensive Bulldog Award and Elizabeth Eddings won the Offensive Bulldog Award.

"I'm sad to lose the three seniors that we're losing. What a tremendous job they did and just allowing me to lay the groundwork for culture moving forward," said Harmon.

The three were also named to the Class 3A-7 all-district team recently, highlighting their contributions in their final season at LCS.

"Obviously a huge thank you to Haylee, Ivy and Elizabeth and, to take it a step further, it's a thank you to their families for the support that they gave me as the head coach and buying into what we're trying to get going," Harmon said. "They were on the ground floor of something that I expect to be a really fruitful progression of the program, and it's because of the leadership that they showed."

Delozier was named to the all-district first-team after a stellar senior season.

She started 22 games for Lincoln, pitching 83% of innings for the Bulldogs in 2026.

She had a 2-0 record with a 5.92 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP, while striking out 115 batters in 119.1 innings.

Delozier also led the team with a .449 average, 486 on-base percentage and a 1.139 OPS.

She finished her senior season with a team-high 31 hits, three triples, the only homer of the season and a team-high 24 RBIs. 

She also had five doubles and slugged .652.

"She was named to the team as a utility player because she pitched and played first base and can play outfield," said Harmon. "She had a tremendous senior season and was a rock for us."

Wheeler, Eddings and junior Sophie Ellis were named all-district honorable mention.

Wheeler had a .328 on-base percentage, eight runs scored, six RBIs and eight walks in just 53 at-bats. She also had a .930 fielding percentage defensively.

Eddings hit .359 for Lincoln and had an .833 OPS. She had six doubles, 17 RBIs and 20 runs scored. She also finished with a .981 fielding percentage and had just one error on the season.

Ellis, a junior, started at catcher for Lincoln and finished her season with a .389 average and a .986 OPS.

She had a team-high eight doubles, two triples and 11 RBIs on the year, while scoring 12 runs.

"I'm really proud of them," said Harmon. "All three four of them were our leaders and did a tremendous job."

Ellis will be back to lead the Bulldogs in 2026, along with a solid class of freshmen and sophomores who'll be a year older and more experienced.

"Heading into the offseason, we will get our kids through exit meetings and have conversations about things that they need to be working on in the off season," said Harmon. "We return one senior in Sophie Ellis and I'm optimistic to potentially get a few out of a few good athletes out of offseason and add to the numbers."

There is a lot to build on from the 2026 season, as Harmon hopes to continue to break through the perceived ceiling next fall.

"I told the girls the goal is to have a JV team next year and to have more girls on the field so that we can practice in a way that might better help us take those program steps," said Harmon. "I'm really looking forward to those things. I'm proud of our kids, especially our seniors, and looking forward to getting after it again with them next fall."



Photos by Lee Talley