Matt Hicks

Classroom

Hicks will graduate this spring with a 3.685GPA and a double degree in Biology and Chemistry and a minor in Psychology. He has averaged over 18 hours a semester, taking 20 hours each Spring Semester for the past two years.  Hicks was named to the UL Dean’s List (3.5-3.79GPA) for Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Spring 2013 and Fall 2013; UL President’s List (3.8-4.0GPA) for Spring 2011 and Spring 2012; Sun Belt Commissioner’s List (3.5+GPA) for Fall 2010-Spring 2011 & Fall 2011-Spring 2012; as well as Sun Belt Academic Honor Roll (3.0-3.49GPA) for Fall 2012-Spring 2013. Matt has already been accepted to the University of New Orleans Dental School and will begin in the Fall 2014. Hicks has already spent 50 hours job shadowing with two local dentists. He has also spent 36 hours doing research with Dr. Wu Xu in the University of Louisiana College of Science.

Character

Hicks is 2012-13 Recipient of the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Award (To recognize one student-athlete that embodies the highest qualities of being an all-around team player and carries on the legacy of women’s volleyball player, Sawyer Camillo). Matt serves his community, university and teammates.  Matt knows the way, is willing to go the way, and ultimately shows his teammates the way.  Matt adds an enormous amount of value to his teammates and locker room.  The greatest gift Matt has is that winning and losing will never change who he is.

Hicks had to overcome adversity early in his life as he was born with spondylosis, which is degenerative osteoarthritis of the joints between the center of the spinal vertebrae and/or neural foramina. At the age of 12 he was hit by a car while riding a bicycle. He had to undergo eight surgeries and couldn’t walk for a year. They had to remove a bone from his pelvis and muscles from his stomach to reconstruct his leg. Hicks was able to overcome all of those issues to put together a successful athletic career in baseball and has been a example to others of what hard work and perseverance can achieve.

Community

Hicks is a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Community Service Liaison. He helped to organize the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Big Event Team where over 30 student-athletes committed to a full day of Community Service in the Lafayette Area. He has also participated in Reading in Red the past 4 years. Reading in Red is a community service effort to help stress the importance of reading in local schools. Hicks helped lead the Baseball Team to the 2012-13 Most Involved Team for Community Service. He also spent time at Acadiana Orthopedic Specialist in 2013. Was a booth operator at a local elementary halloween party and spends time as a baseball instructor. Matt also was instrumental in creating a lot of the video board graphics for the teams new HD video board at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.

Competition

Hicks has a career 3.29 ERA in 142.1 innings with 100 strikeouts. As a junior, Hicks set the school record with 11 saves on the season. He also hold the school record for saves in a career. As a member of the team he has helped guide the team from a 23-30 season in 2012 to an appearance in the 2013 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional Championship game. This year Hicks and the Cajuns have set a record for most wins in a season in both program and Sun Belt history with 53 on the year. Hicks has been most dominant as a senior recording a 7-1 record with a 1.62 ERA in 39 innings making his first four career career starts. He has also played a big part in the Cajuns Sun Belt regular-season and tournament championships and a No. 6 national seed in the NCAA Tournament.