Matt Hicks (born 1961) is a sports broadcaster who calls Texas Rangers games alongside Eric Nadel on the radio.
In the middle of the 2012 season, Hicks joined the Rangers after spending 10 years with the Corpus Christi Hooks. He replaced Steve Busby, who replaced Dave Barnett as the primary television play-by-play announcer for the Rangers due to Barnett's health issues. [1] Before the 2013 season, Hicks' promotion was made permanent. [2]
Before his tenure with the Hooks, he was also the voice of the El Paso Diablos and the Frederick Keys. [3] He also called the Houston Astros minor league game of the week on Fox Sports Southwest. [3]
Outside of baseball, Hicks called high school football for the Texas Sports Radio Network, professional ice hockey for the El Paso Buzzards, and worked at the collegiate level with the Texas A&M Aggies, Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers, James Madison Dukes, UTEP Miners, New Mexico State Aggies, and Maryland Terrapins, primarily in football, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse. [3]
Hicks graduated from the University of Maryland in 1983. Outside of his broadcasting duties, he serves as a chess instructor, basketball referee, and swimming meet timer. [3]
The Central Baseball League, formerly the Texas–Louisiana League, was an independent baseball league whose member teams were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises.
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the state of Texas; the five North Division teams are located in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as Double-A Central before reassuming its original moniker in 2022.
The Frisco RoughRiders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named after the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment during the Spanish–American War, headed by future American President Theodore Roosevelt, nicknamed "The Rough Riders" by the American press. They play their home games at Riders Field, which opened in 2003 and seats 10,316 people.
The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned by the Houston Astros. The Hooks play their home games at Whataburger Field, which opened in 2005 and is located on Corpus Christi's waterfront.
The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, which opened in 2002 and seats 4,709 fans. They have won seven Texas League championships: in 1975, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club.
"El Paso Diablos" refers to two different professional baseball teams based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The most recent Diablos were a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From 1990 to 2013, the Diablos, in both incarnations, played their home games at Cohen Stadium. The team's name means "devils" in the Spanish language.
Whataburger Field is a minor league baseball stadium located in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States. It is home to the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. It also serves as a secondary home to the Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders college baseball team in addition to their own on-campus Chapman Field.
Kenneth Marvin Schrom is a former major league baseball pitcher and current minor league executive.
Eric Nadel is an American sports announcer on radio broadcasts for the Texas Rangers baseball organization. In 2014, he was honored with the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Douglas Keith Brocail is an American professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers. He has coached in MLB for the Astros, Rangers, and the Orioles.
Jailen Lorenzo Peguero is a Dominican professional baseball relief pitcher who is a free agent. He played in Major League Baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks. His uncle, Leo Peguero, was a minor league player in the Yankees organization. A song in honor of Leo was released in 1999 called Leo Peguero, You Are My Hero.
Dave Raymond is an American sportscaster. He is the primary television play-by-play announcer for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. He has also worked for the San Francisco Giants (2003), Baltimore Orioles (2005), and Houston Astros.
David Lane Barnett is an American play-by-play broadcaster who calls Big 12 baseball games on Fox Sports 1 and football and men's basketball for the University of North Texas (UNT). He was formerly an ESPN personality and a radio and television play-by-play announcer for the Texas Rangers.
Texas is home of several national sports league franchises among other professional sports, being the second most populated U.S. state. Since the state is located in the South Central United States, most teams are part of the Central / South or West league divisions, with the notable exception of the NFL Dallas Cowboys, which is an NFC East franchise.
This a partial list of Minor League Baseball players in the Houston Astros system and the rosters of their minor league affiliates:
Derek Joseph Fisher is an American professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers. He attended the University of Virginia, where he played college baseball for the Virginia Cavaliers.
Scott Logan Verrett is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Texas Rangers in 2015. Also, he played for the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles. Prior to playing professionally, he played for Calallen High School and Baylor University.
Leonardo Heras Aripez is a Mexican professional baseball outfielder for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League.