Hank Cummings (11) walks up to bat in a game on April 5 of 2023. Picture taken by Elizabeth Belt.

America’s pastime: two words that are synonymous with baseball. The Hickman High School baseball team has had success, holding a record of 62-31 over the past three years, and winning two state championships. 

Another word that is synonymous with baseball, and more specifically Hickman High School baseball, is family. 

“We have multiple team mottos, but I think the biggest one this year is ‘Family…’ As a program, if we can be a family and be connected, then it will make us better on the field,” Luke Eastman (11) said.

Luke is a pitcher and also can play in the outfield. He has also been a part of the Hickman family for all of his high school years. He has played baseball since he was five years old, starting off with tee ball. 

“The ‘family’ motto is from years past, but I still hold a belief that teams that have players that care about each other and not just themselves will typically have more success,” head coach Isaiah Cummings said.

This will be Cummings’ second year as the head coach at Hickman, but it will be his seventh year coaching at Hickman. 

“We create a family-like environment [by] always being there for our teammates on and off the field,” Hank Cummings (11) said.

Hank, like Luke, has played for Hickman all three years of high school, although he’s been playing for much longer.

“I’ve been playing baseball as long as I remember,” Hank said. 

He plays shortstop and second base, and last year was his first year playing on the varsity team at Hickman. 

Before they begin their season, the Hickman team has been having preseason multiple times a week.

“We always like to do things at game speed. Whether we are scrimmaging or [doing] defensive work, we try to make sure we are always moving fast and focused so we can be ready for [the] game[s] and not start slow,” Luke said. 

Hickman’s season begins on March 9 as they will play in their annual jamboree against Battle, Tolton, and Fort Zumwalt West. 

As they progress through the season, they will play the teams in the CMAC Conference and other teams in Missouri.  

“We always look forward to playing the cross-town rivals on the south side [Rock Bridge]. They’re always a competitive ball club, but we look forward to competing with them, especially after last year’s extra-innings loss,” Hank said.

The team doesn’t just plan to compete, they have some pretty big goals for the postseason. 

“We could be a scary team by the end of the year if we are patient and weather the learning curve,” Cummings said.