Lincoln keeping pace in PVL title race

For the last few seasons, the Lincoln High School softball team has been in the middle of the pack in the Pioneer Valley League. The Fighting Zebras have had three straight eight-win seasons and have not seen the playoffs since 2022, but the tides are beginning to turn. Lincoln is a contender in the PVL this season, and after Tuesday's 13-0 drubbing of Center in five innings, is tied for first place at 4-1. For co-head coach Kristie MacQueen, the shift has been rooted in a clear team identity. "We've been very intentional with everything," MacQueen said. "Two of our words this year are intention and purpose. We're going back to the basics and really just working our way up from there." MacQueen, the co-coach alongside fellow Lincoln alumna Lexee Sheiring, says this is a complete group that runs deep and is eager to learn. The change in approach is translating directly into production at the plate. Lincoln is hitting .297 as a team through 16 games and .386 against league opponents. Lincoln's lineup features six regular contributors batting above .300 and the Zebras have proven all season they can get production from anywhere in the batting order. Leading the way is senior Drew Hamilton, who is hitting .432 with a team-high nine RBIs and five doubles. Sophomore Mia Maldonado has emerged as another major bat while junior Addelyn Kuehne and sophomore Ava Ornelas continue to give Lincoln consistent production in the middle of the order. Senior leaders Paige Mosby-Rossi and Macey Thatcher are hitting .333, Thatcher with 15 hits and 13 runs scored. Junior Brooklyn Guadarrama and freshman Hope Schaper are batting above .300. "It's kind of a mix of everything," MacQueen said. "You don't need to have all of everything right to be successful. They're feeding off of each other." MacQueen said Hamilton's breakout season has been years in the making. "She's always been disciplined. She's always asking for extra reps," MacQueen said. "Even now, she's still asking what she can work on. She just continually wants to get better, and it's paying off." Thatcher has emerged as a key presence statistically and vocally, growing into a leadership role as the season has progressed. "Macey is one of the ones you see out there pumping people up," MacQueen said. "She's really grown into that." In the circle, Lincoln has found stability behind sophomore Ava Ornelas, who has taken on the bulk of the workload. Ornelas is 6-6 with a strong 2.44 ERA across 63 innings, striking out 67 while making 12 starts and throwing four complete games. "I see it when she steps into that circle. She's ready to go every time," MacQueen said. "Her confidence has improved greatly." Mosby-Rossi gives Lincoln depth in the rotation. As a staff, Lincoln owns a 3.18 ERA over 88 innings with 79 strikeouts, continuing to show growth as the season progresses. With momentum building, Lincoln now turned its attention to Wheatland on Thursday before the second half of PVL play. The Zebras are tied with Bear River for first place, but the Bruins have the upper hand after winning the first battle 7-6 on March 12. Still, MacQueen believes a PVL title is within reach as long as Lincoln handles business. "The key is discipline, determination and intention," she said. "We're just taking it one game at a time."