Hicks, Herschel O.

HERSCHEL O. HICKS STARTED HIS SOFTBALL CAREER IN 1965 AT THE AGE OF FIFTEEN. HE PLAYED FOR THE HARLAN FORD MOTOR TEAM AND CONTINUED UNTIL 1972, WHEN HE JOINED THE PINEVILLE RAIDERS THE RAIDERS WERE A VERY POWERFUL TEAM DURING THE SEVENTIES, AND HERSCHEL WAS THE LEADER OF THE TEAM.

DURING THESE YEARS, HE WAS VOTED ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM TWENTY-ONE- TIMES, HIT THE MOST HOME RUNS FIFTEEN TIMES, AND WAS VOTED ALL-STATE FOUR TIMES. THE RAIDERS WERE STATE CHAMPS IN 1976 AND 1977 AND PLAYED IN THE NATIONAL TOURNAMENT BOTH YEARS. IN 1977, HERSCHEL WAS NAMED TO THE ALL-WORLD TEAM. IN THE 1978 FOURTH ANNUAL LAKE CUMBERLAND CLASSIC, HERSCHEL HIT SIXTEEN HOME RUNS, HAD TWENTY-TWO HITS, SCORED NINETEEN RUNS, AND HAD A BATTING AVERAGE OF .714. THE SIXTEEN HOME RUNS STILL STAND AS THE TOURNAMENT RECORD.

HERSCHEL WAS ONE OF THE MOUNTAIN'S BEST SOFTBALL PLAYERS AND WAS ALSO KNOWN AS A MAN OF HIGH MORALS AND CHRISTIAN BELIEFS.