My Boise State Journey: Michael Hicks

In seventh grade, Michael Hicks did not think collegiate baseball was in his future. As a junior in high school, the feeling had not changed.

"I was 6-7 in seventh grade and dunking and pretty good at basketball," Hicks said. So, that was one of the reasons I did not take baseball seriously. I pitched, but I wasn't very good so I focused on basketball. I was always told I was too tall to play baseball unless it was pitching.

"I would look at MLB rosters and see guys 6-3 and there was no one my size. Then, a guy I knew came back from playing ball in Alaska and told me he just played against (current New York Yankee) Aaron Judge who was 6-7. It wasn't a huge deal, but it put the idea in my head that were guys out there doing this who were my size. It took me a while to figure out my body worked, but seeing guys like Judge and (Yankee teammate Giancarlo) Stanton doing it on TV gave me confidence."

Hicks described himself as a baby deer on a baseball field when referring to his prep career at Coeur d'Alene High School and did not have a college offer prior to his senior season.

"I I didn't even think I was going to play baseball in college but I went to a Baseball Northwest tournament in Centralia (Wash.) and ended up getting a lot of attention after that," Hicks recalled.

Not only did college take interest in Hicks, but the Yankees drafted him in the 27th round of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Instead of signing, Hicks enrolled at Yavapai (Ariz.) College.

"It was a tough decision not to sign with Yankees," Hicks said. "I just didn't feel right. I didn't doubt my abilities at that point, but I hadn't really played at a high level. I think it was absolutely the right decision not to sign, but it definitely helped me get my foot in the door with a lot of baseball guys.

"The only reason I went to Yavapai is a kid from Coeur d'Alene that my family was pretty close with convinced me it would be a good move for me to develop for a year and play a high level so that became my plan going into my freshman year."

Hicks batted .349 as a freshman at Yavapai before transferring to Portland. He started 32 games as a sophomore with the Pilots, but saw his playing time decrease as a junior.

It was at that point, Hicks start seeking another place to finish his college career. Originally, he was thinking about anything but Division I baseball because he just wanted to have fun, graduate and take his chances in the draft without having to sit out a season due to NCAA transfer rules. That changed when he and Boise State head coach Gary Van Tol talked for the first time.

Hicks became one of five Division I transfers who helped form the Dirty Dozen, a group of Broncos who joined the program in 2018-19, a full year prior to Boise State playing its first game since 1980.

"We are lucky to have the staff we have who works with us the way they do," Hicks said. "We have a communal goal at the top, but every guy is different. We do not recruit cookie cutter guys and that is what I believe it is going to set us apart from other programs."

Last summer, Hicks competed in the West Coast League for the Ridgefield (Wash.) Raptors and led the summer-collegiate circuit with 50 RBI.

Tonight, the left-hander hitter will be in the No. 3 slot in the lineup when the Broncos face No. 22 Texas in their season-opener. He knows he will not only be counted on to produce home runs and RBI, but leadership.

"Personally, I want to be as consistent and a good teammate every day," Hicks said. "I am a fifth-year senior and I realize the writing on the wall. I embrace that. I wouldn't trade my journey for anything. If I would have signed out of high school, I probably would have flamed out within a year or two. Going through everything I have gone through has put me in the best position to move forward in the baseball field or in the work force."

Now his final year, not only does Michael Hicks know he belongs in his college baseball, he believes professional baseball is a realistic opportunity.

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