With continued community support, Carver sees bright future for baseball program

New Carver baseball coach Andy Hicks, who was elevated to that position earlier this month, called his predecessor David Pollard the first real baseball coach the school has had.

It wasn’t a slight to anyone else who had held the position. He was just stating his belief that for the first time at the school, which is known more for its prowess in football or basketball or track, there was a coach who focused all of his attention on improving its baseball program.

That was the vision Pollard had — to build a foundation on and off the field for a program that had little history of success. After Pollard was killed in a car wreck in April, individuals at the school were determined that the vision live on.

“I think it’s something that people have wanted,” said Hicks, who was an assistant coach for Carver prior to Pollard’s death. “I know our guys have. They’ve been invested in what we’re trying to do. I think they knew what we could do here and they knew how special it could be. When I found out I got the job, (principal Chris Lindsey) said to me, you know, ‘I want the baseball team to start winning.’ That’s a little bit of pressure there, but I think we can do it.”

Only a little bit of pressure, though, Hicks said. Making the transition to head coach and following someone like Pollard is made easier by the fact that Hicks already shared in the same vision.

He wants to win. He wants the amenities to improve. In short, he wants to continue to build Carver into the kind of program that can influence athletes on and, more importantly, off the field.

To accomplish each of those goals, Hicks stressed the importance of continued support from the school and the community. While Columbus High is a rare breed when it comes to community support for a baseball program, Hicks pointed in the Blue Devils direction when asked for a long-term goal.

He sees the blue-clad fans showing up at his school at 3:30 p.m. for a 4:30 game, following their team around the city and beyond.

“It’s because they’ve built such a successful program, those people will support them everywhere they go,” he said. “That’s probably our long-term goal, to be able to build something like that. Right now, the short-term goal is to just start winning some region games. If the team starts competing, people will start jumping on the bandwagon.”

“We both have the idea that as long as we keep momentum going and driving kids forward on and off the field, we’ll continue to see that support,” Lindsey said.

Even without sustained success, the community support was already growing throughout the 2016 season and exploded in the final week of the season, following Pollard’s death.

By the end of the school year, the baseball program had officially launched its first booster club, approved by the school and with its own tax-exempt account. In the future, Hicks envisions indoor batting cages, a press box and new uniforms, among other things.

There’s plenty of work to be done, but with increased support, Hicks believes each are attainable goals.

In the short term, the booster club will be able to provide for things like quick dry for the field, more baseballs and additional equipment. Already, the team has added a roll-up cage, a used one donated by Hardaway’s Chris Gilstrap, that will help the team be able to take additional batting practice and save money on baseballs that would otherwise end up in the apartment complex down the hill behind the field.

They are all improvements that Hicks sees as a way to improve the experience for his athletes and, maybe, get a few more to come out to play for the Tigers. He said he’s already heard from a number of individuals who were inspired by the events in April and plan to try out for the 2017 team.

“And even keeping guys who are supposed to be at Carver at Carver,” Hicks added. “The amenities have a lot to do with that.”

Hicks also has the support of his players, according to Lindsey. When he was in the process of deciding who would take the Tigers program forward, Lindsey said he received a lot of interest from current Carver players to name Hicks the coach.

“Like I told them in the time of tragedy with Coach Pollard, I would listen to their comments and weigh my decision through that,” Lindsey said.

The most important support Hicks said he has received so far, though, was the phone call from Carlos Pollard, David’s brother, and the Facebook message from Terry Render, David’s dad, congratulating him on being named the head coach.

“To know that we’ve got their support and they know what we’re trying to do here, that’s huge,” Hicks said.

This story was originally published June 25, 2016 at 4:09 PM with the headline "With continued community support, Carver sees bright future for baseball program."