Lincoln Little League History

Shortly after Lonsdale Elementary School was built, a new field was constructed behind the school where all of the Lower Lincoln games were then played.  When the first addition was put onto the Lonsdale school (the part that is closest to Sam Moore Field), they had to move the field further away from the building.  That is when the field was dedicated to Sam Moore, who at the time was managing the Seals, in May of 1962. To honor his legacy and his positive influence on the community, Peter Moreau, who played for Moore when he was in little league, had a plaque made and installed near the base of the flagpole where it is today.

The Lower Lincoln All-Stars captured their first District (1) Championship in 1966 but lost in the state tournament as Pawtucket Little League’s Steve Reynolds bested Lower Lincoln’s Gary Stott in a 2-1 pitching duel. As adults Gary Stott and Steve Reynolds both coached in Lincoln Little League and at different times managed the Cubs in the league’s majors division. Steve Reynolds is currently the varsity baseball coach at Lincoln High School.

Upper Valley (Cumberland/Lincoln) captured the District (4) Championship in 1968, 1977, 1978, and 1979, going on to win the state championship in 1977 and 1979.

In 1973, with the town's population growing, fencing was added around Lincoln Almond Field, the Narrows (located on Lonsdale Avenue.) This allowed the league to begin planning for a league expansion. In 1975, the league expanded from four to six teams as the Bears and Tigers were added. 

Before the 1986 season it was announced that the three Lincoln teams in the Upper Valley League League would assimilate into the Lower Lincoln Little League, which officially became named Lincoln Little League. The Orioles, Cardinals, and Hornets were added to accommodate the new players. Lincoln Little League now had nine teams in the major division and an equal number of teams in the minor division.

During the 1990 season Lincoln Little League introduced girl’s fast pitch softball. Girl’s softball had previously existed in a slow pitch format through programs run by the Cumberland-Lincoln Boys and Girls Club and earlier a league that had been created by Lincoln Parks & Recreation’s Ed Sullivan. To honor Mr. Sullivan the softball field at Saylesville elementary school is named Sullivan Field. Sullivan Field is utilized by our town league as well as the Lincoln High School softball team.

It was in 1999 that Lincoln’s 12 year old All-Stars won the league’s first baseball state championship. Managed by Lou Abraham and coached by Randy and Charlie Hien, the 1999 team beat Burrillville to take the district 4 championship. At Coventry’s Paine Field, Lincoln found themselves needing to climb out of the loser’s bracket after getting beat by Cranston Western in the first round. In the following game Lincoln eliminated Wickford to stay alive then went on to beat Cranston Western (12-4) in a rematch to head to a championship series against an unbeaten Darlington American (Pawtucket) team. Requiring two wins against Darlington American to win the double elimination tournament, Lincoln defeated Darlington American 15-6 then again 3-2 to take the state title. Both games were exciting and required an extra inning with Lincoln’s explosive offense taking over each game in the seventh inning. In the league’s first regional tournament in Bristol, Connecticut, Lincoln was the only undefeated team coming out of pool play, going 5-0. Out of 12 teams Lincoln was one of 4 teams to advance to the quarterfinals. After beating Somersworth, NH and advancing to the semifinals Lincoln was eliminated by Middleboro, MA, losing 4-2. 

In 2000, Coach Peter Kurczy and his 12 year old All-Stars won Lincoln’s first softball state championship, eventually losing in the regional tournament in Maryland. Lincoln captured the state title again in 2005, 2006, and 2011.

Bruce Whitehead became vice president of softball in 2001 and coached until his retirement in 2023. Prior to his softball tenure, Bruce played for the Colts in the Lower Lincoln Little League as a child then returned at the age of 16 to become the league’s player agent. A few years later Bruce began coaching baseball in the major division, eventually taking the reins as manager of the Seals at 21 years old. Bruce took some time off when his first child, Ryan, was born but returned to coach Ryan from tee ball through his Senior Little League season in 2000.

While it is not common to dedicate more than 45 years to the league, as Bruce has, Lincoln Little League has flourished with so many great volunteers, coaches, teams, and players, helping earn a reputation as one of the premier programs in New England. John Sharkey started coaching in the league in 1989 and was elected president of the league in 1995. During John’s tenure as president the 12 year old Lincoln All-Stars have captured 15 district championships, 8 state titles, and 2 regional championships for baseball and another 4 state titles and a regional championship for softball.  By far the longest tenured president in league history, John has dedicated (and continues to dedicate) an extraordinary amount of his life to our league and the town of Lincoln. 

The All-Star success is also largely credited to Lou Abraham and Randy Hien who, along with Randy’s son Charlie, helped Lincoln reach the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA in 2001 and again in 2004. Sadly Lou Abraham passed away in 2003, leaving team manager responsibilities to Randy… but that didn’t come without challenges. Prior to the 2004 season Randy’s vehicle was struck by a drunk driver. After lengthy surgeries, several days in a coma, and a two month hospital stay Randy returned in time for the opening day parade. 

Randy grew up in Lincoln and dedicated 28 years to coaching. From 1978 until 2006 Randy managed the Tigers in the major division. He coached and had a positive impact on so many players, including his son Charlie Hien and his stepsons John and Kevin Greene. In 2006 Randy’s life was tragically cut short when he was struck by a car. 

There was a field (really a sandlot) behind Lonsdale Elementary, opposite Sam Moore Field that was used by the farm league (now called minors).  Kids also played pick-up games there on occasion. From 2005 through 2006 the league was able to raise $45k in addition to funding received from Twin River Casino to construct a premier Little League baseball field in town. That old field was turned into one of the nicest Little League baseball fields in the state and was named Randy Hien Field. While developing the dimensions of the field, Paul Prachniak decided to pay homage to Randy by making the distance to the centerfield fence “217”feet, referencing Randy’s birthday, July 21st.

In addition to the field bearing his name, Lincoln Little League hosts an inter-division majors tournament one weekend each season to honor Randy’s passion for the game, the league, and the kids. The Randy Hien Memorial tournament is a weekend full of fun, competitive baseball with many of Randy’s family, friends, former coaches and teammates joining in the festivities. Guest coaches and their teams are introduced at the opening ceremony of the tournament while stories of Randy are shared with the crowd. As always, Randy’s family coaches one of the teams. Randy’s stepson Kevin Greene, Ken Labrie, John Sharkey, and many other volunteers work hard in preparation for this weekend to ensure it represents the best of Randy’s legacy and Lincoln Little League.

Lincoln Little League has had so many great volunteers contribute to the league’s success over the years. Fortunately for our community Sam Moore, Randy Hien, John Sharkey, and Bruce Whitehead are not the only coaches that have spent an incredible amount of their lives helping the kids of this town through baseball and softball. Coaches such as Howard “Howie” Bishop, George Ogilvie, Nick Guida, Peter Kurczy, Dan “Doc” Gingras, Bob Turner, Ken Labrie, Bill Juckett, Steve Guarino and many others have dedicated decades of their time to this league. We are lucky that countless others have also given so much of their time and helped build a league our community can be proud of. 

Lincoln Little League has been extremely fortunate to have a generous and supportive community. We have had many individuals, local politicians, and local companies and organizations help with fundraising for our league over the years. Without community assistance our league would not be nearly as strong as it is today. Every year we begin to build relationships with new sponsors and strengthen our relationships with returning sponsors. Kings Towing, Turner Sales, Lincoln Shopping Center, and Santoro Oil are just some examples of longstanding multi-decade sponsors that have helped shape our league through their commitment to our youth.

Lincoln Little League 

• Chartered in 1956 under the name The Lower Lincoln Little League
• Name changed to Lincoln Little League in 1986
• Part of Rhode Island Little League District 1 from 1956 until moving to District 4 in 1993

Awards and Dedications

• Sam Moore Field - Dedicated to Sam Moore for starting our league and devoting so much of his life to youth sports in the town of Lincoln
• Randy Hien Field - Dedicated to the memory and legacy of Coach Randy Hien who passed away in 2006
• The “Shark Tank”, clubhouse press box located at Randy Hien Field- Dedicated to John Sharkey in 2014 for his leadership and dedication to Lincoln Little League 
• Michael Monteleone Flower Bed - The flower bed surrounding the base of the Randy Hien Field scoreboard is a memorial dedicated to the life of former Lincoln Little Leaguer Michael Monteleone who tragically passed away in 2005. He was only 14 years old. 
• Richard W. Szumita Award - Honoring former coach and league president, Richard (Dick) Szumita, who passed away in 1991 - This award honors an individual who has provided outstanding service to the league
• Raymond Banville Award - Honoring former coach Ray Banville, who passed away in 2015 - This award honors a 12 year old baseball player who best exemplifies a great teammate 
• The Founder’s Award - This award honors a 12 year old softball player who best exemplifies a great teammate

League Presidents

• Roger Douglas 1956
• Francis (Frank) Kelley 1957 
• Thomas Cragg 1958
• Roger Douglas 1959-1960
• Thomas Rush 1961
• Edward Hopkinson 1962
• John Hodgkins 1963
• David Moran 1964
• William McGoldrick 1965
• 1966?
• Bertrand (Bert) Titmas 1967
• Roland Pare 1968
• Norman Guilmette 1969
• Matthew J. Kelley 1970
• Arthur (Artie) Fletcher 1971
• Sam Moore 1972-1974
• Ralston Silva 1975
• George Ogilvie 1976-1977
• Arthur (Artie) Fletcher 1978-1981
• Chuck Hyson 1982-1983
• Richard (Dick) Szumita 1984-1985
• John (Jack) Peters 1986-1988
• David Duffell 1989-1990
• Bob Wotherspoon 1991-1994
• John Sharkey 1995-present 

Notable Baseball Alumni 

• Lou Abraham - Johnson & Wales, Rhode Island College
• Luke Abraham - University of Bridgeport
• Russell Barlow - St Joseph’s College of Maine
• Kyle Borden - Community College of Rhode Island, University of Rhode Island
• David Bordieri - Farleigh Dickinson University
• Sam Brito - Salve Regina University
• Noah Campanelli - Thomas College
• Braedon Carney - Misericordia University
• Sean Clifford - Bryant University
• Justin Conti - Rhode Island College
• Chris Costantino - 2009 MLB Draft (49th Round - Boston Red Sox), Walters State Community College, 2011 MLB Draft (43rd Round - St. Louis Cardinals
• Tom Coulombe - University of Rhode Island
• Domenic Crocenzi - Central Connecticut State University
• Domenic Cunha - Wheaton College, Fordham University
• Aaron DeSousa - Wheaton College
• Brian Domenico - Dean College, 1992 MLB Draft (19th Round - Oakland Athletics
• Nate Donovan - Rhode Island College
• Jason Doris - Vermont State University Lyndon
• Sean Doris - LaSell University
• Andrew Duffell - Harvard University
• Patrick Fleming - Johnson & Wales University
• Jake Foster - University of Rhode Island
• Peter Gabriel - Saint Anselm College
• Ethan J. Gray - Springfield College
• Michael Grenon - Nichols College
• Mike Guida - Johnson & Wales University
• Jared Hart - Wheaton College
• Ryan Havunen - Roger Williams University
• Charlie Hien - Eckerd College 
• Randall Hien - Siena College
• Mark Hodgkins - Southwestern University 
• Stephen Holmes - University of Rhode Island, 2006 MLB Draft (5th Round - New York Mets)
• Mike Horsfield - University of Tampa, Florida Southern College
• Kyle Jackson - United States Coast Guard Academy
• Billy Kehoe - First Lincoln Little League Player to sign a professional baseball contract - Minnesota Twins (1970)
• Brandon Kelly - Rivier University
• Nathan Kelly - Community College of Rhode Island
• Charles Kwolek - Providence College, 1978 MLB Draft (21st Round- Texas Rangers)
• Matt Kynch - Bryant University
• Josh Labossiere - Plymouth State University
• Michael Lefort - University of Rhode Island
• Donavon Lopez - Anna Maria College
• Jack Lyle - Barrington College 
• Jeff Lyons - Community College of Rhode Island
• Trevor Marques - Wheaton College
• TJ Mellen - Rhode Island College
• Chris Mercer - Brown University
• Steve Nichols - Florida Southern College
• Ryan O’Dell - University of Rhode Island, Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College
• Mason Palmeri - Bryant University
• Jake Petrin - Rhode Island College
• Chris Pickering - University of Rhode Island, 2012 MLB Draft (32nd Round - San Francisco Giants)
• Jad Prachniak - University of Rhode Island
• Daniel Rhault - University of Rhode Island, 2009 MLB Draft (26th Round - Tampa Bay Rays)
• Tyler Santaniello - Rhode Island College
• Brody Santilli - Salve Regina University
• Brad Seaward - Springfield College
• Connor Sheehan - Brandeis University
• Jacob Sullivan - Community College of Rhode Island
• Ryan Thompson - University of Rhode Island
• Paul Tillinghast - University of Arizona, Bryant University 
• Nick Toro - University of Rhode Island
• Rob Turner - Community College of Rhode Island, Saint Leo University
• Brian Volpe - University of New Haven
• Andrew Wright - 1980 MLB Draft (22nd Round- Texas Rangers)
• Joe Yankee - Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College
• Nick Zammarelli - 2013 MLB Draft (28th Round - Boston Red Sox), Elon University, 2016 MLB Draft (8th Round - Seattle Mariners)

Notable Softball Alumni

• Casie Beauchemin - Endicott College
• Jessica Borden - Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College
• Emily Bouthilette - Bryant University
• Kelley Cimino - Bryant University
• Amanda Conti - Rhode Island College
• Emma Hart - Wheaton College
• Lindsay Mayer - Fordham University
• Stacey Mayer - Saint Joseph’s University
• Alyssa McCoart - Central Connecticut University
• Darien McDonough - Boston College
• Sophia Monti - University of New England
• Riley Riendeau - Monmouth University
• Adrianna Toro - Coastal Carolina University

Williamsport Teams

2001

State Tournament:
Lincoln 11, East Greenwich 0
Lincoln 3, Cranston Western 3

State Championship Game:
Lincoln 1, Cranston Western 0

Regional Tournament:
Yalesville, CT 6, Lincoln 1
Lincoln 5, Lincoln County, ME 3
Lincoln 5, Pittsfield South, MA 0
Lincoln 3, Manchester East, NH 2
Lincoln (Rhode Island) 5, Pittsfield South 4 (7 innings)

New England Region Championship Game:
Lincoln 6, South Burlington, VT 3 

Roster:

• Derek Audette
• Alex Booth
• Kyle Borden
• Mike Brothers
• Steve Calicchia
• Matt Carpentier
• Tom Coulombe
• Kevin Dawber
• Zack Fletcher
• Seth Labossiere
• Jonathan McNaught
• Josh Peloquin
• Chris Pickering
• Chris Randall

Manager: Lou Abraham
Coach: Randy Hien
Coach: Charlie Hien

2004

State Tournament:
Warwick Continental 7, Lincoln 6
Lincoln 2, Cranston American 0 
Lincoln 6, Portsmouth 3

State Championship Series:
Lincoln 10, Warwick Continental 0 (4 innings)
Lincoln 10, Warwick Continental 0 (5 innings) - Chris Costantino had twelve strikeouts and threw a no-hitter in the title game.

Regional Tournament:
Lincoln 2, Jesse Burkett, MA 1
Lincoln 14, East Biddeford, ME 0 (4 innings)
Lincoln 5, Portsmouth, NH 0
Essex Junction, VT 6, Lincoln 3
Lincoln 10, Jesse Burkett, MA 0 (4 innings)

New England Regional Championship Game:
Lincoln 3, Portsmouth, NH 0 

Roster:

• Matt Agresta
• Travis Burke
• Chris Costantino
• Damon Divozzi
• Nathan Duquette
• John Grossi
• Alex Kay
• Tom Paolino
• P.J. Rampone
• Jeremy Rhault
• Steve Ricci
• Brendan Sullivan
• Eric Thomson
• Zach Trenteseaux

Manager: Randy Hien
Coach: Charlie Hien
Coach: Steve Rhault