Lincoln Christian has been knocking on the door the last two seasons.

The Bulldogs have played in super regionals in each of the last two years, with a chance to advance to state by winning two of three.

Lincoln will look to breakthrough in 2026, as the Bulldogs have a great chance with most starters back from a team that went 22-14 a year ago.

The Bulldogs last made the state tournament in 2022, but head coach Greg Harmon believes this is his deepest team with the best shot in his first three years

"We have a very strong core group coming back," Harmon said. "We only lost one senior but have everyone else back. And we have added a few new faces to the mix. Our expectations are high."

The Bulldogs success in 2026 will depend on its rotation and pitching, which is arguably as strong as any group in program history.

Lincoln returns four starters and a host of other arms, providing Harmon and his group with a great opportunity to win every time someone takes the mound.

"Our 2026 season goes the way our pitching goes," Harmon said. "At minimum we have four horses that we'll be able to depend on each day. And behind that, we have some other guys that we think are dependable and able to get the job done."

Senior Carter Ricke is back after a stellar 2026 season on the mound.

Ricke was named Pitcher of the Year by the district last spring, going 6-0 in 10 starts and finishing with a 1.28 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.

"He's a big-game guy and he wants the ball when it matters," Harmon said. "He's a competitor and a gamer. He's coming off back-to-back-to-back football state champs. So he brings that winning attitude and championship mindset. And he's hungry to start that tradition in baseball."

He had 60 strikeouts across 60 innings on the year and was named the Co-Pitcher of the Year by Harmon and his staff in 2025.

Hunter, a junior, was selected as an all-district pitcher last spring, finishing the year 7-0 in eight starts across 56 innings.

"He had a really strong sophomore season," said Harmon. "He's another guy that wants to be 'the guy.' He definitely wants to take the ball in big spots. He has a devastating breaking ball, a heavy fastball and great change up. He has a big year ahead of him."

He had a 2.50 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP with 46 strikeouts. He was named the Co-Pitcher of the year for Lincoln last spring.

Senior Chandler Cozbey will be another key arm for Lincoln, as the Northeastern State signee had an outstanding junior year for the Bulldogs.

Cozbey took 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. He was given the Bulldog Award and Slugger of the Year last spring.

"Chandler had a great junior year," said Harmon. "He has been working really hard this winter with his pitching coach. We expect him to be more than ready to go when he gets over here from basketball."

He has been working on a new cutter, which will work great with his fastball. He's a great competitor and his velocity is way up, which should allow him to have a great senior year for us."

Sophomore Aiden Hendren burst onto the scene as a freshman, playing great at shortstop, hitting in the middle of the lineup and delivering on the mound 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.

"He had a great freshman season," said Harmon. "Last spring he played short most of the time but this year we are expecting him to move into more of a role on the mound. He is a power arm that's coming on strong."

"He will sit 90-91 and has also been working with pitching coach during basketball. He and Chandler take it serious in their preparation. Aiden has a huge season ahead of him."

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

The remainder of arms will come from juniors Cade Ryan and Kade Poplin, as well as sophomore Beaux Brumble.

The outfield will be another strength for Lincoln, as some of the same faces provide Harmon and staff with experience, athleticism and coverage in left, center and right field.

Ricke, Cozbey and another senior, Lane Hunter, will man the three outfield spots, giving Lincoln a big advantage in the field and when they are at the plate with bat in hand.

"Our three senior outfielders can all play center and have the ability to cover gap-to-gap and line-to-gap."

Ricke had a .245 average for the Bulldogs last season, along with a .444 on-base percentage. He had a team-high 30 runs scored and a team-leading 33 walks, to go along with five doubles.

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

Hunter hit .294 for Lincoln last spring, posting a .492 on-base percentage as a junior. He also had a team-high 1.009 OPS and a team-leading .518 slugging percentage. 

He had a team-high four homers and drove in 18 runs. He also hit five doubles and walked 28 times.

All three had great numbers in the field, as Cozbey had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, while Ricke finished at .950 and Hunter ended his junior season at .896.

With two of the three being two crucial arms in the rotation for Harmon, a fourth outfielder is needed to step up when someone from the group takes the mount.

"With us having two pitchers from that group, we will be looking for a fourth outfielder," said Harmon. "Having all those guys competing for that spot puts pressure on our kids to perform and pressure on us as coaches to put guys in spots to succeed. It's a good thing and it means we have depth. It's what we want."

Freshman Major Brooks will see time in that role, along with many days in the lineup as a DH, and he will be joined by Ryan and senior Cole Dooley.

Dooley hit .265 with a .444 on-base percentage last year. He had five doubles, 18 RBIs and walked 32 times.

"We not only have depth but we have experienced depth," Harmon said. "When you mix that with the fact that they are good baseball players, it gets me really excited to see how it shakes out."

The infield will be led by Hendren at shortstop, after his stellar freshman season.

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.

He'll be joined by Carter Hunter, who has played great in the preseason at third.

"We are going to have a lot of competition in the infield this year," said Harmon. "Which is a great thing for our program. Carter has been pushing to break into the lineup and has been playing great at third. He has hit the ball well all offseason and I'm really proud of him."

Two newcomers will fight for spots, as well, as sophomore Nate Cottman and senior Silas Goff will vie for time around the infield.

Cottman is a high IQ player and will be a utility guy, playing second, third and shortstop, while Goff slots in at first base.

"Cottman is a really smart player that has impressed in the spring thus far and Goff is just really solid and swings a great bat," Harmon said.

Brumble will also play a utility spot for Harmon, moving around to the same three spots as Cotton.

Ryan will play some second and third, along with rotating with the outfield group.

Poplin, Dooley and Brooks will be in the mix with Goff at first base, as well.

"Poplin has been swinging it better this spring and Major has a great approach at the plate. He does not look like a freshman and is a strong lefty up there for us," said Harmon.

"There's definitely some competition, especially when Cole (Dooley) gets over from basketball and gets into the mix to start pushing some guys."

At the catcher spot, sophomore Jax Crumbliss will be the man most days, as the freshman played in all 38 games a season ago and had just four errors on the year.

"He is a workhorse," said Harmon. "He caught literally every pitch of every game of the entire season last year. He is a blue-collar, hard-working, hard-nosed kid. You've gotta have those kind of guys behind the plate and he does a great job handling our pitchers."

Crumbliss hit .253 for Lincoln at the plate last year and posted a .413 on-base percentage. He had five doubles and four triples as a freshman, driving in 17 runs.

"He's exactly the kind of guy we need behind the plate. There's a big part of me that hates that he has to play every single game back there but there's a bigger part of me that loves it because he's built for it," said Harmon.

Ultimately, Harmon's group is poised to be right back where they have been the last two years, but this time, the Bulldogs may just be ready to take that next step.

"The expectation is for us to get to state tournament and to go try and win the whole thing," Harmon said. "That should be our goal every year, but we feel like this year it's achievable. We have experience and a great opportunity in front of us."

If Harmon and his group can do that, they would have a chance to do what no other Lincoln baseball team has done thus far.

"I genuinely believe we have a great chance to win the program's first state tournament game," Harmon said. "We have a chance to go further than any team in school history. Our kids work hard. Our coaches work hard. And we are all togther, with one aligned goal. Now it's time to go play."

Lincoln opens the season on Monday, hosting Bartlesville on Opening Day. The Bulldogs will also host NOAH on Thursday and Collinsville on Saturday.

Photos by Lee Talley