The Lincoln softball team is on the rise, and for the first time in a long time, the program is able to field a junior varsity (JV) team in addition to their varsity team. 

“We’re growing, and we’re gonna keep going next year. We were only five players away from having a JV2,” said head coach Rickey Almeida.

The growth in the number of student athletes playing softball started when  Coach Ricky Almeida began coaching. 

“The year before I took over, they were struggling to get girls out. I heard they almost didn’t have a team,” said Almeida.

The JV team will help support the program as a whole, with younger players being better prepared to feed into the varsity-level competition.

“I’m excited to see what next year will be like because JV players will be moving up. I’m excited to see what they’re capable of doing, because even though we don’t practice much together, when we do, they look very skilled,” said varsity player Yasmin Mahmoud.

Softball is a demanding sport that requires strong focus and the ability to learn, but even with all that learning and practice, players are people, and people make mistakes.

“A lot of what we talk about is the growth mindset,” said Almedia, “being able to make mistakes and learn and grow, and also to give them the tools for when they are in those stressful situations.” 

Almeida says he wants the softball community to be a family here at Lincoln, which is why he has hired a couple of former players to help coach and mentor them.

“I want [the former players] to start feeling like they’re still a part of [the community] because they want to give back. There are three former players who want to come back and help coach,” said Almeida.

Players are really appreciative of Almeida’s coaching style and report feeling more confident playing under his coaching.