By Dave Whitney
With baseball in full swing, CCSU Coach Charlie Hickey has a busy docket with his spring schedule. The coach has earned his tenure with his list of records, along with an enthusiasm for winning that would make any Blue Devil fan proud.
Originally from Middletown, Connecticut; Hickey was at the right place at the right time when the position for head coach became available at CCSU, 12 years ago. He was more than happy to come back to Connecticut to coach the sport he loves so much.
“Before I came here, I was at Providence College, but their baseball program closed. The opportunity to come here presented itself and it really worked out perfectly,” says Hickey.
He also credits his predecessor, Coach Redman for building a baseball team of high caliber. Hickey has tried following in the coach’s footsteps, as the CCSU baseball program has enjoyed a decorated history.
The Blue Devils baseball program, with Hickey’s guidance enjoyed their best season in 2004. The team won 41 games and broke multiple records along the way. He claims a lot of the success came from the mentality that, “the ball just bounced the right way for us.”
This year though, coach says the 2011 season will be one of rebuilding due to the loss of nine seniors that got their diplomas in 2010. Last year the bar was raised high as the Blue Devils were once again, hoisting the trophy as conference champions.
“There are 14 new bodies on the field and there’s a lot of what I call newness with this team,” smiled Hickey.
This year, the goal will be to get these fresh faces in the game so that they get adjusted to a faster pace then what their use to.
“Some guys are ready to play. We need some other players to get adjusted to a different game play. We have been successful and that’s what I expect us to be.”
Hickey made note of the great experience his team endured last year when CCSU played in an NCAA tournament game against Florida State; a bigger school with an even bigger baseball program. The game was a bit of home game for CCSU as it was played in Norwich in front a huge crowd that cheered on the Blue Devils.
Even though the result wasn’t in their favor, Hickey is determined to get his team back into the tournament and finally get CCSU their first ever NCAA victory. The Blue Devils are looking for the fifth appearance in the NCAA tournament this season.
Over the years, Hickey has produced some of the best players in the league and has led CCSU to four NEC Conference Championships, and over 300 victories. He has also been named NEC Coach of the Year three times during his illustrious career.