Lincoln makes improbable postseason run at 3A title
Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008
LINCOLN - When the Lincoln Wolves walked off the field back on April 15 after a late-night loss to Elkins, little did they know that they would not lose again for almost a month.
Jonathan Johnson's hothitting team went on an 11-game winning streak, capturing 1-3 A district and regional titles along the way. The Wolves' valiant charge finally ended Monday in a 5-4 loss to Marmaduke in the Class 3 A state semifinals at Harding Academy in Searcy.
"When we were 9-9 and struggling, if you would have told me that we were going to finish the season like this, at 20-10, I'd have called you a liar," Johnson said. "The kids rallied together, started making plays and started believing they could do it.
"All nine kids in the lineup started making plays at some point at the end of the year."
In the state semifinals, Lincoln leaned on its ace, Cody Smith. Smith picked up the win on the mound in last Friday's win over Cotter to open the state tournament, but came back in Monday's semifinals to give up just 3 earned runs and one walk and hurl nine strikeouts against power-hitting Marmaduke.
"He did a great job of coming back on just three days rest," Johnson said. "He's got nine wins. We said we were going to put our best on the mound and ride him and he just did a phenomenal job. "
Smith is just one of many Wolves seniors who are saying farewell to Lincoln High. Seth Pitts, Korey Ayers, Jason Rich, Trevor Center, Tyler Whorton and Shawn Perkins are all exiting upperclassmen.
The head coach is also not returning, as Johnson will be taking a position as assistant football coach and head baseball coach at Siloam Springs in the fall.
But underclassmen like Patrick Rich, Justin Carr, Jesse Wilhite, Joey Baker, Tyler Franks, Zack Turner and Spencer Hulse should ensure that a strong baseball tradition continues at Lincoln. Wolves fans hope the strong hitting tradition continues as well.
Pitts, making his last appearance for Lincoln, had an RBI against Marmaduke, capping an excellent postseason effort. He was also the winning pitcher in the Wolves' 11-2 win over Genoa Central in the state quarterfinals on Saturday.
Center made some outstanding base-running plays during Lincoln's run, despite playing with a sore back for the last three weeks. He's also upped his batting average about 120 points over that span, Johnson said.
Carr became an exceptional long-ball hitter as the season went on and hit home runs against Genoa Central and Marmaduke. Jason Rich had a couple of hits and an RBI in the semifinals loss.
"It was good to see the kids put something together like this," Johnson said after Monday's loss. "Today they're just remembering the loss, but down the road they're going to remember the run they put together and that they got this far."
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