STEPHENVILLE – Blake Adams and Nathan Hickey have etched their names into the history of the Tarleton Baseball program and continued to do so Wednesday afternoon when the Texan seniors were named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-American teams.
“Blake and Nathan have absolutely put in the work and effort to achieve this type of recognition,” said head coach Bryan Conger. “We couldn’t be more proud of them and it’s a testament to their hard work that others from around the nation have recognized the type of ballplayers these two young men are. These are the types of awards you only achieve if you’re willing to commit day in and day out to the process of getting better.”
It is the first All-American honor for each player and brings the total for the Tarleton baseball program up to six. They are the first All-Americans since Travis Hayes was a Daktronics First Team selection in 2011.
They are also the first teammates in school history to earn national honors in the same season. With these All-American teammates, baseball joins volleyball, golf, and track and field as the only programs in the last 10 seasons with multiple All-Americans in a single season.
Adams had arguably one of the greatest offensive seasons in program history as the senior from Longview is hit .390 with 74 runs scored, 16 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs, and 69 RBI – all from the leadoff spot in the Tarleton lineup. He led the league in runs scored, home runs, slugging percentage (.781), and hit by pitches (25) while also ranking among the top three in the LSC in batting average, hits, and RBI.
Adams was named the LSC Tournament Championship MVP after hitting .667 with six runs scored, seven RBI, and three home runs for the weekend. He is a two-time All-LSC First Team selection and a three-time All-Region honoree in his career.
Hickey enjoyed a banner season in his senior campaign, in which he was named the LSC Pitcher of the Year, All-LSC First Team, All-LSC Gold Glove, NCBWA and D2CCA All-Region First Team. In the regular season, the senior right-hander from Granbury led the LSC in wins (9), complete games (3), shutouts (2), and strikeouts (85) this season while boasting a 3.04 ERA for Tarleton. Hickey was also named the LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year before the season began in February. He joins Paul Darnell (1999) and Joel Robinson (2003) as the only Texan hurlers to claim the league’s top pitching honor.
He tied the single-season wins mark by earning the victory in the LSC Tournament championship game to give Tarleton an automatic berth in the NCAA playoffs for the fourth time in school history. He also set the single-season strikeout record for the Tarleton program with 96 punch outs this year.
Hickey is a two-time All-LSC First Team and Gold Glove selection, as well as a six-time All-Region award winner. The senior from Granbury was a
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