DURHAM, NC – A day after Opening Day across Major League Baseball (MLB), former Coastal Plain League (CPL) player Liam Hicks made his Big League debut with the Miami Marlins. Hicks played for the Holly Springs Salamanders in 2019.
After a respectable spring, Hicks earned a spot on the Opening Day roster for the Marlins, and it didn’t take long to step into his first official Major League game. He got the start at catcher for Miami on Friday afternoon in 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh. Hicks played the whole game and went 0-for-3 with a walk.
Drafted in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers, Hicks spent his first full season of his professional career across three teams ranging from Rookie ball to Advanced-A in 2022. Collectively, he slashed .327/.462/.460 that season. A year later, he reached Double-A Frisco , where he batted .269 with 40 RBIs and 49 walks. Then in 2024, he started with the RoughRiders but was traded to Detroit halfway through the season and finished with a .272 average with 31 hits, 20 runs, and 14 RBIs in 33 games for the Erie SeaWolves.
In December, the Marlins purchased Hicks’ contract from the Tigers in the Rule 5 Draft. He joined his new team in Spring Training, where he saw action in 15 games, slashed .200/.400/.233, and held his own defensively. It was enough to earn the back-up spot behind the dish on Miami’s 2025 Opening Day roster.
Hicks joined the Salamanders while a sophomore at Arkansas State. That summer he batted .341 in 36 games. He had a team-best 45 hits with 10 doubles and eight home runs to go with 27 runs scored and 30 RBIs. Hicks was voted as the starting catcher for the East Division CPL All-Stars, and then was a Second Team All-CPL selection at catcher following the completion of the season.
With his debut, Hicks is the 195th CPL alum to reach the Majors, and the first of the very young 2025 season. He is the sixth former Salamanders player to go on to make his debut in the Bigs.
About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier and most innovative summer collegiate baseball league. The CPL is currently comprised of 15 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had over 1,800 alumni drafted, and 195 alums make their Major League debut. Most notable alumni include Justin Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Taylor, Alec Bohm, Jake Cave, Chas McCormick and NFL Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @CPLBaseball.
About Capitol Broadcasting Company:
Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. is a diversified communications company which owns and/or operates WRAL-TV, WRAZ-TV, WRAL-FM, WRAL-HD2, WNGT-CD, WCMC-FM, WCMC-HD1, WDNC-AM, WCMC-HD2, WCMC-HD3, WCLY-AM, WCMC-HD4, Microspace, WRAL Digital and Wolfpack Sports Properties (a joint venture with Learfield) in Raleigh, NC; WILM-TV, WILT-LD and Sunrise Broadcasting in Wilmington, NC; The Durham Bulls Baseball Club, Bull City Hospitality and Coastal Plain League in Durham, NC; The Holly Springs Salamanders in Holly Springs, NC; Greenville Yard Gnomes in Greenville, NC, the American Underground startup hub in Durham, NC; and real estate interests including the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham, NC, and Rocky Mount Mills in Rocky Mount, NC.