When Matt Hicks got off the UL bus at Troy, Ala., back on April 13, Ragin' Cajun assistant coach John Szefc broke the news to him. Hicks was the team's new third baseman.

The fact that he'd never played the position in his baseball life? Not a big deal - except for Hicks.

"When he told me to take grounders at third that day, it was a big surprise," the sophomore said. "The next day, I was very nervous. I told Devo (senior middle infielder Devon Bourque) that I needed a nice two-hopper from the first hitter."

What the former second baseman got was a swinging bunt, maybe the toughest play on the corner, and he threw wildly to first. Fortunately, UL took an easy 13-3 win in that game.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com