The At-Bat of Season? Hicks Has Strong Case for Gators

Christian Hicks' 15-pitch at-bat Friday drew a big reaction from Florida's dugout. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Photographer)

The At-Bat of Season? Hicks Has Strong Case for Gators

Tuesday, May 9, 2017 | Baseball, Scott Carter

The 15-pitch at-bat for Gators sophomore Christian Hicks in Friday's win over Ole Miss served as a tone-setter in sweep and possibly more.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

"What really makes baseball so hard is its retributive capacity for disaster if the smallest thing is done wrong, and the invisible presence of defeat that attends every game." – Roger Angell, voted into the "Scribes & Mikemen" wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – They cheered foul balls.

The more times Christian Hicks deposited baseballs into the stands at McKethan Stadium on Friday night, the more boisterous they became.

"That was nuts,'' Gators shortstop Dalton Guthrie said afterward. "I've never seen the fans get on their feet for an at-bat in like the fourth inning."

"Seeing the fight he had in that at-bat was really fun to watch, that's for sure,'' said outfielder Ryan Larson, who was on-deck.

The scene was one of appreciation for his teammates, general fans making their first trip to the ballpark this season, and the regulars who stay engaged with a scorecard and understand the game's intimate nuisances. Driving home after Florida's 11-2 victory over Ole Miss, legendary baseball essayist Roger Angell came to mind. The 15-pitch at-bat for Hicks against Rebels ace James McArthur is the type of moment Angell can somehow turn into an interesting 5,000-word piece.

Since this is the internet and attention spans are short, a different approach is taken here. Still, a topic worth revisiting before the Gators host USF tonight.

The game was scoreless in the fourth inning when the Gators, retired 1-2-3 in each of the first three innings, finally found their way home against McArthur, who took the mound as the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week.

It started in modest fashion when with one out, Guthrie singled to center. The next batter, Austin Langworthy, drew a walk. McArthur then struck out Nelson Maldonado on four pitches before JJ Schwarz drew a two-out walk to load the bases.

Up stepped Hicks, who was hitting below .200 as recently as early March. However, as injuries to Langworthy, third baseman Jonathan India and catcher Mike Rivera forced head coach Kevin O'Sullivan to tinker with the lineup and rely on others to pick up the slack, Hicks, a sophomore from St. Augustine who played prep ball at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, showed he was more than capable.

Christian Hicks battled for 15 pitches to bring the go-ahead run across last night... and set up Ryan Larson's grand slam!#GoGators pic.twitter.com/3QqL0u0x0w
— Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 6, 2017

Since March 10 Hicks is hitting .342 (40-for-117) and flashed unexpected power, including a pair of home runs in a victory over Jacksonville last week.

"He's always in the cages early. He's always working,'' O'Sullivan said. "He's quiet, keeps to himself. He's probably one of our hardest workers. I'm really pleased that he's been able to reap the benefits of his hard work."

Hicks has never worked harder than in his memorable at-bat against McArthur.

"I felt I was up there for a half-hour hitting,'' he said.

Hicks quickly fell into a hole, down 0-2 after fouling off McArthur's first pitch and swinging and missing at his second, the only swing he failed to make contact on during the at-bat. Hicks fouled off the next three pitches before ball one. He fouled off three more pitches before ball two.

By this time, the announced crowd of 3,447 began to notice something special was happening.

"It kept going up and up, 'oh boy, don't want to disappoint them, so I better finish this off strong.' It always helps when you get to see that many pitches,'' Hicks said. "As it went on I felt I had more confidence."

The trend continued as Hicks fouled off the next three pitches, which ran his total during the at-bat to 10, nine with two strikes. Next, McArthur bounced a pitch in the dirt for ball three.

With the count full, O'Sullivan and the Gators stood at the top of the dugout steps totally consumed by what Hicks was doing at the plate.

"I was just hoping it would end on a positive note because you don't see those at-bats very often,'' O'Sullivan said.

In a classic battle of wills, Hicks won when McArthur's next pitch was low and outside for ball four. The unassuming Hicks turned to trot to first as fans and teammates erupted with emotion. Guthrie raced home with the go-ahead run.

"That was the whole game right there, the momentum changed,'' Guthrie said. "That was a great job, a great piece of hitting to foul those good pitches off. I think Christian set up the whole game with that at-bat. That's one of the best at-bats I've seen."

Five pitches later, Larson drilled McArthur's offering over the left-field wall for a grand slam. There were five innings left, but you sensed the Rebels were done. They were.

The Gators added two more runs in the inning as McArthur withered during a 49-pitch frame. Unbeknownst at the time, Hicks' at-bat set the tone for what turned into a Florida sweep. The Gators hit .343 in the series and overtook Kentucky for first place in the SEC East.

O'Sullivan, a baseball man to the core and not one for hyperbole, was noticeably upbeat two hours later as he discussed Hicks' breakout moment.

"Maybe the at-bat of the year,'' O'Sullivan said. "The crowd got into it. The players got into it. It was just awesome."

An at-bat victorious over both disaster and defeat, which are always looming when on the diamond.