Lincoln High’s baseball team, both the junior varsity and varsity, will play Foothill at Raley Field in West Sacramento Thursday.

The JV game starts at 3 p.m. and the varsity follows.

“They seem to be really excited, this is going to be the first year that we are playing a non-league game and it puts a fun twist on the game,” said Lincoln co-coach Rick Foster about Thursday’s game. “There is not so much pressure on everyone to go out and win. (However) you talk to most of the kids and the ones that have (played at Raley Field) before seem to prefer to play a league game. The last three years we have played Whitney and that’s a great rivalry.”

David Foxworthy is listed as the team’s head coach this season because he teaches on campus but he will co-coach the team with Foster. Foster has been the varsity head coach for the last three years and Foxworthy has been on his staff during that time.

Foster says this is his final season as a Lincoln baseball coach.

“(Foxworthy) will step right in and he’s young and he’s going to be terrific,” Foster said. “Last year was going to be my last year so I could kind of sit back and watch (Lincoln senior Dusty Foster) play but some things didn’t fall into place so I came back. We picked up a pool business and I am doing that also and next year I won’t come back (to coach).”

Lincoln (1-2) hasn’t played since it lost 1-0 at River City on March 9. River City scored the game’s lone run in the bottom of the second inning.

Lincoln has also beaten visiting Center 12-4 and lost 7-1 at Rio Linda this season.

Lincoln will host River Valley at 4 p.m. Monday and then open Pioneer Valley League play at Mesa Verde at 4 p.m. next Wednesday.

Lincoln’s starters are Greg Harlow (catcher), Sean Fox (first base), Foster (shortstop), Leland Smith (third base), Austin Pleich (left field) and Elvis Sandoval (center field). John Aleman and Cory Howell are competing to win the second-base job while Howell and Nick Caster are in the mix in right field.

Foster and Smith are playing different positions this season as Foster was in center last year while Smith played shortstop.

Marcus Maldonado, Pleich and Fox are in the mix as the starting pitchers and Rick Foster says that the three are in no particular order.

Maldonado and Fox are juniors while Pleich is a senior. The trio combined for 38 varsity innings last year.

Foster and Smith will pitch out of the bullpen.

“There have been mental mistakes and we are really trying to get the rust out,” said Rick Foster about the Zebras.

“It’s kind of funny this late in the pre-season to still have some mental things to correct.

“But we still have (two) games before league starts and (three) days of practice.”

Foster and Howell came out late to the team because of an extended basketball season while Aleman and Harlow came out late because of an extended wrestling season.

“It was really kind of touch and go (early on), we only had nine or 10 kids and we were not getting a whole lot of practice in,” Foster said.

“But the kids that were there put in their best effort.

“We are just a little behind right now but when these guys start to click we are going to be a good group.”