As sister acts go, Dioni Lincoln has filled in perfectly at Kamehameha, the former home of her sister, Kiarra, who’s making her own path at UH-Hilo.
It’s no surprise that the Warriors have won the BIIF Division II title every year either of them has been on the team, dating back to 2014.
Kiarra is already a two-time All-PacWest selection. She’s a scholar-athlete, too, a tough road for her sister to follow.
But here’s where the curveball comes in. Dioni is very much like her sister, an offensive sparkplug, a versatile defensive wizard and an independent thinker.
The Kamehameha senior signed with New Mexico Highlands University, more than 3,000 miles away from home.
“I followed my sister the last four years at Kamehameha,” said Lincoln, who hit .557 with four home runs and 27 RBIs as a sophomore. “I wanted an opportunity to make my own name and go on my own journey.”
The hookup between Lincoln and the Cowgirls follows the coronavirus protocols. She emailed schools and interviews were conducted on Zoom.
She’s met coach Kevin Jannusch and some of her future teammates on Zoom and found a nice fit.
“He told me about the program. I really liked the coaches, and he’s been there a long time,” Lincoln said. “He’s very friendly, and I got to meet some of the girls. They’re very welcoming.”
NMHU is a small school with just 3,765 students, and it’s in Division II’s Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, so there’s always a chance a game could be scheduled with UHH.
Now, the bad news: Lincoln doesn’t walk into a juggernaut. The Cowgirls haven’t had a winning season in more than a decade.
But who better to start a culture change than Lincoln? She’s been groomed to exhaust every inch of potential by her father, Derek Lincoln.
“I know everything from my dad, and I do everything with my dad,” she said. “Through softball, we’ve created an unbreakable bond. He tells me to never give anyone my power.
“Softball has given me so many life lessons, and it continues to teach me. I can pass that on to my kids, continue to work hard and be the best I can be.”
Hopefully, that mindset rubs off on the Cowgirls, who went 2-22 before their 2020 season was canceled on March 14 due to the pandemic.
If Kiarra is famous for anything it’s her work rate, a determination that constantly pushes her.
“Something that I admire about her is her work ethic,” Lincoln said. “As short as she is, she continues to prove herself. She has the right mindset, work hard every day.”
At 5 feet 2, Dioni has two inches on her sister but the same intensity to prove that size doesn’t matter.
“Softball is not a game of height,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how tall you are or how big you are, it’s working hard and trying to improve your skills no matter your height.”
Her family name is attached to softball. So it sounds funny that Lincoln wanted to be someplace else once up a time rather than shine on a softball field.
“When I was in middle school I played volleyball,” she said. “When I was really younger, I wanted to be a cheerleader. In my freshman and sophomore years, I bowled. I was a pitcher before and the release point for bowling came easy for me.”
She hasn’t receive a reporting date yet. New Mexico has had more than 135,000 COVID-19 cases, including more than 2,300 deaths.
The softball season starts in February, so there’s still a lot of time. Until then, Lincoln is waiting for BIIF softball to kick off while training.
“I have a net at home, and I’m doing a lot of hitting, working out and lifting,” she said. “Kiarra is in college, so I get to see the type of workouts she does and her college mindset.”
Her parents, Derek and Christen Lincoln, wanted her to fly on her own.
“They were happy for me and just wanted me to go someplace I wanted to go,” she said. “There’s a lot of life lessons. They say to just work hard and put my all in everything. Even if I do fail, I’ll know I pushed myself the hardest to be the best I can be.”
Lincoln is hoping to study journalism at NMHU. She’d like to get into sports.
“When I was younger, I liked to write,” she said. “Once I started playing softball, I thought I could help them. Why athletes play the game and get to know people.”
Dioni Lincoln already knows the answers to her own story. Softball is in her blood. It’s been her life’s work. Now she’s ready for her own journey.