The Chattanooga Lookouts want to make the most of what's left of this season, and nobody shares that sentiment more than Dalton Hicks.
Hicks played first base and batted cleanup during Sunday afternoon's 11-4 drubbing of the Tennessee Smokies at AT&T Field. The 6-foot-5, 254-pounder from Altamonte Springs, Fla., went on the disabled list with a neck injury on May 20 and did not return to the Lookouts until July 29.
"There are always times you get knocked down, and you just have to get back up," Hicks said. "I definitely don't feel like it's a lost year, especially with these guys and the way we play. Whether it's one game or 120, you still feel like you're doing something."
Sunday's slaughter, which was ignited in the fifth inning when Chattanooga collected four hits and two walks with two outs, concluded a 10-game homestand in which the Lookouts went 7-3. Chattanooga is 22-26 in the Southern League's second half despite opening 3-13.
Hicks, who is the first to admit he is pressing a bit to make up for lost time, went 1-for-3 Sunday with two walks and an RBI and is hitting .227 this month. Before his injury, he was hitting .289.
"I want to take more swings, and when you miss that much time, all you can do is reps," Hicks said. "You don't want to overdo it and get blisters, but at the same time, you've got to get enough swings in to catch up."
Lookouts manager Doug Mientkiewicz also doesn't believe this is a lost season for Hicks, who hit .262 with 76 RBIs last year for Mientkiewicz and the Fort Myers Miracle, who won the high Single-A Florida State League championship.
"He still has some at-bats here, and he'll probably finish with 150 or 200," Mientkiewicz said. "There is always winter ball as far as catching up. We haven't seen the best of him yet, which is a good thing. He is battle-tested and hits good pitching, and that's definitely what this lineup needs.
"He has a knack for coming up with big hits in big situations, and we're going to lean on him heavily when it starts to really count."
Hicks still isn't sure what ailed him earlier this year but believes there is something right around the corner that could take the sting out of missing more than two months.
"I thought I just slept on it wrong and figured I would miss a day," he said. "Then it was another day. Then it was obvious it wasn't getting any better. I couldn't swing, and I couldn't throw, so we had to get more doctors looking at it.
"I'm glad to be back, and I'm glad we've got the playoffs coming up. Playoffs help you forget about the season, whether you've done good or bad. When you make a run in the playoffs, all the rest is kind of forgotten."
The Lookouts are off today before opening a five-game series Tuesday night in Pensacola.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.