Hicks moving to Division I softball next college season

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This article was published 26/04/2018 (2809 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Zoe Hicks took a patient approach to joining an NCAA Division I team.

That patience has paid off.

The 20-year-old Boissevain product, who is in her second season of playing junior college softball with the Iowa Western Community College Reivers, has committed to join the University of Buffalo in the fall.

“It’s huge for me,” she said. “It’s always been a big goal of mine to go play Division I softball. It’s an unorthodox route to go junior college to Div. I, but I think it was good for me to come here and learn what I could at Iowa Western and I will take that experience with me to the next level.”

Hicks will continue studying to pursue a career in education, both as a teacher and possibly an administrator like her father Al in Boissevain.

What really put Buffalo over the top for Hicks deciding where to transfer to was the Bulls’ coaching staff.

“I really clicked with them when I went on my visit,” she said. “I’m really big into college softball and Coach (Mike) Roberts came from big programs like Washington and Oregon to Buffalo and he’s trying to push the program in the right direction. I think it will be interesting to get to know his experiences and things he has seen everywhere in the softball world.”

Buffalo is 6-11 in conference play so far this season and 15-26 overall.

Hicks has grown a lot in junior college and is having a season to remember. She led the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference with a .483 batting average and was tied for most runs batted in with 61. As a pitcher, her 14 wins were the second-most, while her 2.27 earned-run average was fourth-best and her 115 strikeouts led everyone.

The Reivers generally play doubleheaders. She would pitch in one game and play at first base or in the outfield in the other.

She credits her success at the plate to an entirely different mentality.

“I honestly changed my mindset a lot from last year to this year,” she said. “Last year I was more of a hope strategy. I would work really hard on my swing and when we get in games I would be ‘I hope she throws me a pitch I can hit, I hope that this goes well for me.’

“This year I’ve attacked more often, so I go in the batter’s box and be like ‘You’re going to make a mistake, you’re going to throw it over the plate and I’m going to make you regret it.’ It’s more of an attack mentality than sit back and hope.”

This mindset came from improved confidence.

The growth in confidence began during last summer. Hicks competed with Canada at the world junior women’s softball championship in Clearwater, Fla. She posted a .227 batting average in 22 at-bats while helping the team post a 6-2 record and place fourth.

She then joined Team Manitoba for the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg. She batted .250 with five runs scored and four RBI. She also had four appearances in the circle, throwing for 17 1/3 innings and allowing five runs — three earned — on 15 hits while striking out 16.

Reivers coach Ben Greer has reinforced her confidence and built on it with more lessons this season as well.

That helped Iowa Western finish second in conference play with a 9-3 record. The team went 42-8 overall.

The Reivers begin play in the double-elimination Region XI Division I tournament today when they take Southeastern Community College.

Iowa Western lost the regional final last year to Indian Hills, and Hicks, who plans to return home this summer and play for the Smitty’s Terminators, wants to make sure her team does better at this year’s event.

“It seems like every single game we’re getting better for our goal to win a region title, winning a district title and going to the national championship this year,” she said. “Last year, we were in the region final but came up short. We lost 5-4.

“This year is kind of coming back to the region tournament and getting revenge on the loss last year and we want to push and go to the national tournament because I think we have a very powerful team this year and I think if we put it all together this year then that is a legitimate goal for us.”

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