James Hicks plans to 'contribute the best way I can' in any given role
When James Hicks first took the mound for South Carolina, he knew he would be depended on as a starter. That was before an elbow injury derailed his season before it really started.
Hicks had a 5.14 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in seven innings with seven strikeouts to one walk in just two starts.
Less than a year after undergoing Tommy John Surgery, Hicks has resumed baseball activities and will soon take the mound. However, he doesn’t know how he’ll fit into the Gamecocks’ pitching plans.
“My mindset going into it is, just whenever they put me in, contribute the best way that I can, whether that be starter, bullpen, closer, anything,” Hicks said in a Garnet Trust interview. “I’m not going to get too wrapped up in what job I want and what job I get. I’m just going to go out there and compete my best wherever they put me.”
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After Hicks went down last year, Noah Hall and Matthew Becker slotted in with Will Sanders in the weekend rotation. Sanders and Hall figure to fill the Friday and Saturday roles while Sunday could be up for grabs.
Jack Mahoney is another name in consideration for a rotation spot. Like Hicks, he’ll be coming off Tommy John Surgery.
“It’s a staff and a half,” he said. It’s the best staff I’ll probably be on for a while.”
It shapes up to be a dog fight for the No. 3 starter duties over the next few weeks. Mahoney had the benefit of pitching during the fall, consistently topping out between 97-98 miles per hour on his fastball. Hicks hasn’t pitched in a game since last February but the time off has allowed him to make adjustments.
“Last year, I would get really loaded up and my back heel would come up. I would get up on my toes and just launch towards home,” Hicks said. “Now, I’m staying more stacked and riding the slope better, getting back into the glutes. Just riding the slope, moving a lot more efficiently down the mound instead of lunging.”
“My arm was really long and stabby and so I’ve cleaned that up. It’s a little bit shorter, a little better. And I’m just getting out having better extension on the ball and everything has a lot more depth. It’s still a work in progress, but I think I’ve made some pretty good strides towards it.”
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Hicks also has been building up his velocity in preparation for the long season. His pitch repertoire features a four-seam fastball, slider, changeup and curveball. He’s even been fiddling around with a cutter, the pitch made famous by Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera.
“I was 90-92 in live ABs, and I felt like that wasn’t a full 100 percent. So I think there’s still some more that’ll jump up a little bit, hopefully at least,” Hicks said.
Much of Hicks’ improvements can be attributed to South Carolina pitching coach Justin Parker. Hicks said learning from him has “worked out perfect.”
“He’s going to go down on my list as one of my favorite coaches of all time,” he said. “He’s so hands-on and spends so much of his time making sure that whatever we need to work on, we get the time in to work with him on it. He takes videos, talks about every part of what you’re doing and he gets to know you. Even when you’re not practicing, you’ll talk about whatever’s going on. You just get really close with him and he’s just awesome.”
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In any capacity Hicks pitches, he believes this year’s pitching staff could take a big step forward. South Carolina dealt with injuries to its pitching throughout last season and will see many of them return in 2023.
“That’s what gets me so excited for this year is all those people from last year and coming back healthy this year plus some,” he said. “We’re all really excited for this coming year. We’ve got some really high hopes.”
