Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – When the Tampa Bay Rays secured their spot in the Fall Classic with a 7-3 ALCS victory over the Cleveland Guardians Monday night, a former Red Wolf was right in the middle of the celebration.

For the first time in program history, Arkansas State will have an alumnus appear in the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series championship with Rays catcher Liam Hicks.

Ahead of his trip to baseball’s biggest stage, JRN caught up with Hicks to discuss his historic postseason run, his ties to Northeast Arkansas, and balancing the most significant professional milestone of his life with his upcoming wedding to a Jonesboro native.

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The Collegiate Beginnings

After traveling to the United States to begin his baseball career, his first stop along the way to his eventual World Series destination was at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, MO.

Hicks would make a name for himself at the junior college, hitting 21 home runs and 87 RBIs over the span of two seasons in 2018-2019 playing in Arkansas’ northern neighbor. After a stellar sophomore year, A-State spotted him on their radar and gave him the opportunity to move up to play in Division I competition.

When given a chance to visit A-State, Hicks immediately noted the culture between the players and coaching staff, citing it as one of his reasons for committing to the Red Wolves.

“I just really bonded with them over my visit,” Hicks said. “I had a great time and felt like it was a good fit for me.”

For his own benefit as well, A-State offered him plenty of playing time, which helped sway him to commit to the program in 2020. Even with shortened seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic and an injury in his senior year, Hicks made a major impact for the Red Wolves over his two seasons in Jonesboro.

In 59 games for A-State, Hicks hit 11 home runs along with 40 RBIs, putting together a solid performance in every opportunity he had. By the end of his collegiate career, he cracked the top 10 in batting average at .340, cementing his place in the program’s history books.

Welcome to the League

When it came time for Hicks to make his way to the MLB, his decorated resume from both Mineral Area and A-State was enough to get the Texas Rangers to select him in the ninth round of the 2021 draft. He started off in the minor leagues, but slowly built his professional career with the playing time he was given there.

“I started off in the minor league not being a guy that played every day,” Hicks said. “I was trying to stay ready and take advantage when I got those opportunities.”

His patience and work eventually paid off at the 2023 Arizona Fall League, where his consistency at-bat in college translated to the pros as he led all players in batting average at .449 and third overall in hits with 31.

Hicks’ performance there garnered interest from other MLB teams, leading him to eventually be picked up by the Miami Marlins. In South Beach, he finally got his moment to live out every kids’ dream and made his MLB debut in 2025. He took advantage of his first year as a pro and began to make his presence on the team known, playing in 119 games and slamming six home runs and batting in 45 RBIs.

The Breakout Year

Going into his second year, big changes came for Hicks on both a professional and personal level.

Despite being out of the opening day starting lineup for the Marlins, he became a major component of the starter core as the season progressed, becoming their main catcher. His value continued to rise until it eventually began to pique interest in the trade market.

When the trade deadline began to approach during the 2026 season, the Tampa Bay Rays grasped the chance to boost their at-bat power with a consistent hitter, trading for Hicks on Aug. 3.

While trades can be a rocky shift for players, Hicks saw a great opportunity to further push his career forward.

“Luckily, I got traded to a team that was already in first place in their division with a bunch of really good guys in the clubhouse, so it made the transition really easy,” Hicks said.

Providing support with batting, Hicks contributed to a deep postseason run that now has led to a World Series appearance.

The Chance to Make it Two Rings

While his professional journey continues on an upward trajectory, Hicks also came upon a major life milestone in January: his engagement to his fiancée, Jonesboro native Kirsten Grimes.

Since his years in the minor leagues, Kirsten has been a major supporter of everything Hicks has done. From making the long trips to his games to moving around when his career traveled to another team, Hicks praises her for all of the hard work she does to cheer him on and for acting as a relief from the stress of the pros.

“It’s really cool to look back at all of that now [that I’m in] the big leagues,” Hicks said. “It’s really nice to come back and be able to put baseball away and have her to hang out with and get your mind off of the game.”

While chasing a World Series ring, Hicks organized his path to a different kind of ring in a manner to celebrate both accordingly when the time comes.

“We’re not getting married til next year, so we’ve had a lot of time to settle in and plan things out,” Hicks said. “It would be a little more stressful if we were getting married this offseason with the World Series, but luckily, we have another year.”

The Jonesboro Connection

Even in the face of the most prestigious competition in all of baseball, Hicks takes the time to look back on the community he spent his final college years with. With the influx of the community promoting and celebrating his success, he takes their support as a badge of honor.

“[Kirsten] will show me all the articles and stuff that they post, so it’s really good motivation seeing that I still have people that are cheering me on,” Hicks said.

Hicks and Kirsten also make a yearly trip to Jonesboro to visit her family and feel the support when he returns, especially from A-State.

“A-State’s always been really good with allowing me to come back, use the facilities, and really showcase that they’re proud of me,” Hicks said.

When it comes to giving back to his support system in Arkansas, Hicks wants to eventually return and share the same level of support he received from the community.

Lessons from Tomlinson Stadium

From his time at A-State to one of the biggest stages in American sports, Hicks’ time as a member of the Red Wolves helped teach him vital character skills that he keeps as a professional in the MLB.

One moment in time that taught Hicks a valuable lesson for his future career came with his senior year injury. While being injured, his drive to better himself reminded him about the importance of each day he is physically able to put in work.

“I [learned to] never take things for granted,” Hicks said. “I did a really good job in college of doing a little bit every day to get better and eventually it adds up to becoming the player you are in the present day.”

To keep true to a daily routine of improvement, his teammates provided a source of experience as well, helping him stay on track with his training as well as being a part of his excellent support system.

“It’s really cool to have those guys supporting me now,” Hicks said. “We would stay late after practice and hit extra. It really pushed me to become a better player.”

Although his priorities are focused onto a bigger stage than the city of Jonesboro, Hicks has shown that no matter where his MLB journey takes him, he continues to cherish his ties to this community and the university where his Division I career took off.

“I wouldn’t be here [today] if I wasn’t able to play and get that experience and be able to be a catcher in my last year there,” Hicks said.

Hicks will make his World Series debut when the Rays face off against the Milwaukee Brewers starting Friday, Oct. 23, for Game 1 at American Family Field. The best-of-seven series will stay in Milwaukee for Game 2 on Saturday, Oct. 24, before shifting to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg for Game 3 on Monday, Oct. 26, and Game 4 on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

If necessary, the series will continue with Game 5 in Florida on Wednesday, Oct. 28, before potentially returning to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Friday, Oct. 30, and Game 7 on Halloween night, Saturday, Oct. 31.

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