Former Pike Liberal baseball standout and future Troy Trojan Rush Hixon finished his junior college baseball career with three awards.

After helping lead Central Alabama Community College back to the state tournament, Hixon was named a member of the ACCC All-Region 22 Team and the All-North Division team. He also took home the Gold Glove Award as a pitcher.

“It means a lot,” Hixon said. “Every year you set goals personally and as a team. Achieving these goals means everything to me. But these truly aren’t individual awards, there are a lot of people involved with these.

“It wouldn’t be possible with out a lot of people. Obviously my Lord and savior Jesus Christ, my family and my teammates.”

Hixon’s name was listed alongside the best players in the state of Alabama and for him it was truly an honor. “Just to be honored with great competition meant a lot,” he said.

Hixon transferred to Central Alabama from Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Andalusia. “It was a little scary when I first did it, because you never know,” Hixon said. “Yet again I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates. They made the transition really easy. My coach let me to do what I do. He helped along the way and gave me the tips that I needed. There was zero bumps in the road.”

Hixon moves to the Sun Belt Conference and the Troy Trojans  next year.

“I have learned how to attack hitters,” Hixon said. “Our coach, who played in the majors, stressed attacking each hitter differently. He stressed watching what they do from the time they walk up to the plate to the time they leave. He taught me how to attack every hitter; it’s an art. There is a lot more to it than throwing the baseball, and I have to give him credit for teaching me that.”

Hixon will now take the summer to prepare for the move up to the Division I level, but he doesn’t plan on changing how he prepares.

“The summer is going to be the same,” Hixon said. “You have to work your tail off. Everybody is doing the same thing; they are working. This summer I am going to work on the things that I did badly at this spring. Going into Troy you want to keep the same confidence level, but it’s a different level of play. You have to keep the same mindset and trust what you have.”