Alyssa McCoart

Growing up in Lincoln, RI, there are certain athletes you just hear about.

Alyssa McCoart was one of them. She lived down the street from me growing up, a few years younger, but her name was already making the rounds in Lincoln before she ever got to high school. That's how it works when you're good. You don't have to announce yourself. People just know.

By the time she got to Lincoln High School, everyone in town knew who she was. A dominant pitcher with a presence on the mound that was impossible to ignore. She went on to earn Rhode Island's Gatorade Player of the Year award before earning a D1 scholarship to Central Connecticut State University, where she competed against some of the best programs in the country including LSU, ASU, and Florida State.

But what makes Alyssa's story worth telling isn't just what she accomplished as a player. It's what she's doing now. She came back. Back to Lincoln. Back to the program that shaped her. Today she coaches varsity softball at Lincoln High School and works with highly talented travel ball players, passing on everything the game gave her to the next generation.

Alyssa talks about competing, character, and what we're getting backwards in youth sports. Her answers didn't disappoint.

In This Feature, Alyssa Breaks Down:

Here’s our conversation.

You grew up right here in Lincoln. What was it like as a young athlete and when did you realize softball was something special for you?

Lincoln was a great community to grow up in. My parents encouraged me to play multiple sports throughout the year. Soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and softball in the spring. I didn't realize it at the time, but being a multi-sport athlete allowed me to build strength and stamina while using different muscle groups. More importantly, it helped reduce the potential for burnout at a young age.

My experience in Little League resulted in life-long friendships and unforgettable memories. When I was a twelve year old All-Star, we won the RI States and the New England Regional. The team drove to Albany in a limo. We lost in the Eastern Championship game, one win away from the Softball World Series. The following year, Little League extended the age restriction to 13, ten of us came back, and we did it again. That experience set the tone for my commitment to the sport.

I continued playing all three sports through middle school, but by high school it was clear that softball was my thing. I decided not to play basketball, and after my sophomore year I gave up soccer to focus on my dream of playing college softball. Slowly, the game became more than just fun. I loved winning and hated losing. I wanted the ball on the mound when the game was tight and wanted to be at the plate when we needed runs. At night I'd replay situations in my head, thinking about what adjustments I should have made. That's when I knew. This wasn't just a sport I was playing. It was something I was passionate about.

Winning the Gatorade Player of the Year in Rhode Island is an incredible accomplishment. What did that take behind the scenes? Who supported you along the way?

Gatorade Player of the Year was honestly never on my radar. I was focused on winning a state title for Lincoln and getting recruited to play in college. Improving meant early morning workouts with a personal trainer, extra reps after practice, and pitching and hitting lessons. Summer hours on the softball field far exceeded hours at the pool.

My parents sacrificed so much. Time, money, and long car rides to tournaments. They were my support system through constructive criticism and unconditional love. They even served as my catcher for pitching lessons and had the bruises to prove it. But my biggest fan was my Grandma Helen, who would drive to any field in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, or Connecticut, walking in wearing Lincoln colors with her hands full of cheerleading props, drinks, snacks, and one of her many Lincoln visors. She was always full of encouragement and made sure I knew how proud she was.

You earned a D1 scholarship and competed against top programs like LSU. Was there a moment when you had to prove to yourself you belonged?

At Central Connecticut State, we played nationally ranked programs including LSU, ASU, FSU, UGA, and USF. The level of play in the South is like no other. Every player is a standout. Strong, fast, skilled, and extremely well coached. Their dugout is never quiet. Softball to them is a full-time job. They eat, sleep, and breathe it.

As a freshman competing against upperclassmen for playing time, my coaches always told me "if you can hit, you'll be in the lineup." That stuck with me. I focused on it, and it paid off. I was the DH my freshman year.

Who was the coach, teammate, or mentor that had the biggest impact on your development?

My travel ball coach, Tom Constantin. He mentally and physically prepared me to compete at the next level and taught me resilience. How to stay mentally tough when things aren't going your way. Travel ball at the elite level is intense. Multiple games a day, long weekends, strong competition. He was tough, but the good kind of tough. He held his players accountable, and that matters not just in softball but in the real world. I can't thank him enough for pushing me to reach my full potential.

What character traits do you look for in a player — and how do you weigh those against raw talent?

Being coachable is non-negotiable. Players need to accept feedback, learn, and adapt. Talent may get you noticed, but your character determines how far you go. Players need to be committed to their own development and to the success of the team. I'd rather have a slightly less talented player who strengthens team chemistry than an elite player who is toxic and brings down the morale of the group.

Softball is challenging. How a player responds to failure tells me a lot about their mental capacity to make a positive impact. Players need short memories to overcome adversity during a game. Work ethic matters too — players should bring the same focus and intensity to practice that they bring to games. Taking shortcuts doesn't go unnoticed by coaches.

Talent might get you on the field. Character and work ethic keep you there.

How did you handle failure and adversity — bad games, tough stretches, moments of doubt?

I learned to turn mistakes into lessons rather than defeats. Instead of dwelling on the negative, I'd remind myself to move on — let go of the error, the bad swing, the poor pitch, and lock in for the next play. Positive self-talk. Replace doubt with confidence.

The game is 90% mental and 10% physical. In college, our team met with a sports psychologist weekly and read a book called Mind Gym, which makes the case that mental toughness is just as critical as physical ability. The concept that stuck with me most is the "7 C's" — competitiveness, courage, confidence, control, composure, consistency, and commitment. Above all, I stress controlling the controllables. You can't control the weather, the field conditions, the umpires, or the fans. But you can always control your effort, your body language, your preparation, and your attitude.

What has changed with softball in today's game compared to when you played?

When I was in high school, travel teams paused during the high school season — the high school program came first. Now travel teams practice nearly year-round with barely a break in December. Combined with early specialization, it's created a culture where playing time is expected rather than earned. Many players don't invest the time to improve their game, yet expect to start. Some parents share that same mindset. That's a problem.

You now coach the same program you came up through at Lincoln High. What does that mean to you personally?

It's a full circle moment. I remember what it meant to wear that Lincoln uniform. Effort, accountability, and being a great teammate are not optional — they're expected. I want my players to compete the way I was taught to compete, maybe even harder. This isn't just about softball. It's about teaching them to handle adversity, handle success, and be leaders on and off the field.

Everyone seems to be stressing about recruiting earlier and earlier. When does it actually matter?

It's not uncommon for college coaches to start taking notice of players as early as freshman year of high school. At that point, players need to advocate for themselves — email coaches, fill out recruiting forms on school websites, attend camps and clinics, and make coaches aware of their travel ball schedules.

Social media and video have made it easier than ever to get on a coach's radar. While you may not be college-ready at that stage, coaches are looking for potential and will follow your growth over time. They're also watching everything — how you carry yourself in the dugout, how you treat teammates, coaches, umpires, and even your family in the stands. Grades matter too. Most coaches recruit actively in your sophomore year with decisions made by junior year.

If you were sitting with a group of young parents and coaches, what message would you deliver, what are we getting backwards?

Specializing in one sport at an early age is not the recipe for success. The goal is to keep kids engaged and enjoying what they're doing while improving their skills. Multi-sport athletes are less likely to burn out and more likely to stick with it. That engagement starts at home — give your kids the tools to practice on their own and encourage them without pressuring them.

How do we keep more girls playing and where do you see the future of softball heading?

The drop in participation is real and unfortunate. In the northeast, being an outdoor sport puts softball at an immediate disadvantage. In Lincoln alone, there are only two dedicated softball fields in town.

Softball and baseball require highly technical skills — hitting, throwing, and fielding are complex movements that take time and repetition to develop. There's less instant gratification than other sports, and that's hard for young kids. Equipment costs don't help either. As a physical education teacher, I see firsthand that baseball and softball are rarely included in school curriculums due to equipment needs and safety concerns.

I think softball is going to continue to struggle in our area. But parents who introduce the sport early and stay patient with the process give their kids the best shot at falling in love with it.

A NOTE FROM ALYSSA

Every practice, every tough loss, and every hard-earned win is shaping you. Softball is not just about batting averages or strikeouts. It's about resilience — learning to stay focused with a 3-2 count, trusting your teammates, and believing in yourself even after an error.

Be the teammate who hustles on and off the field. Be the player who encourages a teammate who just made an error. Be the competitor who respects the game and plays with heart. Celebrate your teammates' successes as if they were your own.

There will be moments when the game feels hard. When practice is exhausting. When you question whether you're improving. In those moments, remember why you started.

You are not just building skills. You are building confidence, discipline, and grit — and those qualities will carry you far beyond the softball field. Play with passion. Play with purpose. And most of all, play for each other.

When you're good, people know it. Not because you chased rankings or played on the best travel team but because you showed up, worked hard, and competed the right way. Alyssa is proof of that. She grew up right here in Lincoln and her name was already making the rounds before she ever got to high school.

She didn't win Gatorade POY by chasing results. She won it by focusing on getting better every day. Early morning workouts, extra reps, pitching lessons while her friends were at the pool. Success found her because she understood the process. Commit and the results will follow.

That's how it works when you do things the right way.

What strikes me most about Alyssa is what she chose to do after. She came back. Back to Lincoln. Back to the program that shaped her. She could have walked away from the game but instead she's pouring everything she learned into the next generation of players right here in our community.

That's the standard we talk about in Inside the Dugout. Not the shortcut. Not the showcase circuit. Not the early commitment offer. Just show up, compete, be a great teammate, and be coachable. The rest takes care of itself.

Alyssa figured that out a long time ago. Now she's teaching it to your daughters.

Help me keep more kids in the game. If you found this helpful, please forward it to another parent or coach.

Thanks for being here. See you next week Inside the Dugout.

-Coach Steve-

Steve Holmes
Founder, Inside the Dugout
2006 MLB Draft | All-American | Youth Coach | Dad