Former RoughRider Liam Hicks makes MLB debut

FRISCO, Texas (March 31, 2025) – Former RoughRiders catcher Liam Hicks made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins on Friday, March 28 in their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hicks is the first player in 2025 whose name will be featured on the reimagined Road to the Show Wall presented by Avondale Dealerships.

Through the RoughRiders “Road to the Show” display, Avondale is proud to honor players whose journeys reflect the same passion and performance the luxury automatic group champions in its business and community.

“Reaching the Major Leagues is the culmination of years of hard work, dedication and the relentless pursuit of a dream,” Dave Cantu, vice president of marketing at Avondale said. “By supporting Road to the Show, we honor the achievements of these players while reinforcing our deep community roots and shared belief in aspiration and success. Teamwork, commitment and an unwavering belief in the goal is what makes the seemingly impossible possible.”

“The Road to the Show Wall is a fan-favorite attraction in our ballpark,” RoughRiders General Manager Scott Burchett said. “Avondale is a leader and innovator in the automotive industry and they use that knowledge to deliver our fans a refined and elevated design that pays proper tribute to former RoughRiders who have made the journey and realized their ultimate goal.”

After making his debut on Friday, Hicks is 0-for-5 with a walk in his first two Major League games.

Hicks, the No. 2 pick by the Marlins from Detroit in the 2024 Major League Rule 5 Draft, played parts of two seasons with the RoughRiders in 2023 and 2024 before he was traded to the Tigers with Tyler Owens in exchange for C Carson Kelly on July 28, 2024.

In 2024 between Frisco and Double-A Erie (Tigers), Hicks set professional bests in games played (113), home runs (six), doubles (20) and RBI (47).

Hicks hit .264/.385/.360/.745 in 157 games with Frisco. His 96 strikeouts were the fewest by a Texas League catcher (min. 500 PA) in that span.

The Toronto, Ontario native was a ninth-round pick by the Rangers in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Arkansas State, where he played two seasons after spending two seasons at Mineral Area College (MO). Hicks led the Sun Belt Conference with a .464 on-base percentage in 2021.

The RoughRiders begin their 2025 campaign on Friday, April 4th versus the Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros) at 7:05 p.m.

For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.

About Avondale Dealerships

Avondale Dealerships is an innovative business led by a team with decades of success and experience in the automotive industry. Avondale is supported by members who have an incredible spirit for delivering an elevated client experience. This SPIRIT of Avondale runs deep and is channeled in multiple ways to care for the local community. Avondale Dealerships operates Porsche Grapevine, Mercedes-Benz of Grapevine, Sprinter Grapevine, Aston Martin Dallas, Bentley Dallas, Koenigsegg Dallas, McLaren Dallas, Maserati Dallas and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dallas. In addition, the company manages Avondale Collision & Repair and Avondale Luxury Rentals.

For more information, visit www.avondale.com. Stay connected with Avondale on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@Avondaledealerships and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/avondaledealerships for the latest updates and stories from our team.

About the RoughRiders

The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the 2022 Texas League champions. In 2023, the team celebrated its 20th anniversary and has consistently finished in the top five among all Double-A franchises in attendance yearly. In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg. Since then, the new ownership group, together with the City of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise enhancements, investing over $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, Bullpen Bar, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world's largest water feature in a sports facility, the massive Lazy River. These enhancements earned the Riders and the City of Frisco Ballpark Digest's prestigious "Best Ballpark Renovation" award for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). More than 210 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball including current Rangers Josh Jung, Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact [email protected].