As a freshman at UL, Matt Hicks posted a 3-1 record in 15 appearances out of the bullpen but threw only 23.2 total innings.

Hicks showed that he’s capable of longer outings Friday night. The Texas native fired a five-hitter to lift the Acadiana Cane Cutters to a 5-0 win over the Victoria Generals in Texas Collegiate League action at Fabacher Field.

"First off, 110 percent hat’s off to him," Generals coach Ryan Wagner said of Hicks. "He threw an outstanding game. Even when he gave up a couple of hits he never lost his composure and had very good mound presence out there."

The right-handed Hicks is generously listed at 5-foot-7, 160 pounds but pitched much bigger than that for the Cane Cutters (2-0) in their home opener. He needed only 95 pitches in the complete-game victory, scattering five hits while recording two strikeouts and no walks.

Hicks wasted little time between pitches, logging five 1-2-3 innings to silence the Generals (1-2) in his first start since starring as a senior at Bridge City High School in Bridge City, Texas.

His two-seam fastball, Hicks said, had a lot of drop to it, which played a big role in him recording 17 groundball outs. That pitch, countered with his slider and four-seam fastball, kept the Generals off balance at the plate all night. It also helped that 68 of his 95 pitches were strikes.

"I obviously felt good and just kept throwing strikes," Hicks said with a big smile. "I got a bit tired at the end because I hadn’t thrown that much in a long time. But everybody made plays in the field, and that helped keep my pitch count down."

Hicks added that his gritty catcher Grant Dozar, a Morgan City native who plays at LSU, was the game’s MVP after calling his pitches behind the plate and going 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Dozar still doesn’t know much about Hicks given they met only a few days ago. He walked away impressed after watching his new teammate throw strike after strike Friday.

"The main thing he did was throw strikes," said Dozar, who had a two-run triple during a four-run eighth inning. "It was almost always 0-1 or 0-2 on every guy. I don’t know much about the guy, but he likes to work quick and stayed in the zone all night. He’s a little guy on the mound, but he pitched great and made my job easy."

Lafayette native Jacob Derouen, who plays at Louisiana Tech, provided all of the run support Hicks needed with an RBI ground out with the bases loaded in the second off Generals starter Tony Manville.

That early lead was huge for Hicks’ confidence. Manville, meanwhile, took the loss after giving up four runs on four hits in seven innings. The two teams play again at 7 p.m. today.

"To get a lead at any point in the game is a big relief," said Hicks, who was all-state as a prep junior and senior. "You still can’t make mistakes, but if somebody gets on base you don’t have to press too hard."

The Generals got two runners on in the third after one-out singles by Daniel Garcia and Kevin Phillips, but Hicks retired the next two batters to end the inning.

Hicks ran into trouble again in the eighth as Brad Shankle hit a one-out single and moved to second following Rob Tasin’s throwing error on a ball hit by Cory Hunt. Phillips tried to move the runners up on a bunt, but Shankle got gunned down at third for the second out. Cody Abraham ended the frame by grounding out to second base.

In the bottom of the eighth the Cane Cutters tacked on four runs to give Hicks some breathing room. After singles by Brett Thornell and Nick Jones, Tasin reached on a throwing error by Phillips that allowed Thornell to score. Dozar then slapped a two-run triple and later scored on a passed ball.

Hicks allowed singles by Chad Kruse and Freddy Villalobos to open the ninth but mowed down the final three batters to secure the shutout.

"He attacked the zone, and you have to tip your cap to a guy like that," Cane Cutters coach Lonny Landry said of Hicks. "He doesn’t look like the prototypical stud pitcher out there, but he’s got such a big heart and is definitely a bulldog on the mound."

Ragin’ Cajuns coach Tony Robichaux said he uses most freshmen as relievers so they can adjust to the college game. Don’t be surprised to see Hicks, who had two hits and two runs scored in Wednesday’s win over Alexandria, used as a starting pitcher and possibly at second base next season for the Cajuns.

As much as he enjoys pitching, Hicks said that he wants a chance to play in the field, too.

"You don’t want them to have to manage so much at an early age until they mature," Robichaux said. "Looks like he is maturing."