Hickey began his coaching career as an assistant at Providence in the 1992 season. He held the position for five years, then became head coach when Paul Kostacopoulos left to become the head coach at Maine following the 1996 season. Hickey coached Providence for three seasons. In 1997, the Friars missed the Big East Tournament. In 1998, the team won 31 games and earned a Big East Tournament berth. There, it lost its opening game to St. John's, then defeated Rutgers and West Virginia before being eliminated by Notre Dame. In October 1998, Providence announced it would cut its baseball program following the 1999 season, due to Title IX's gender equity requirements. During that season, Providence finished third in the Big East and went 49–16 to set a New England record for wins. It also swept the conference's major awards, with Hickey named Coach of the Year. At the Big East Tournament, the Friars started off 1–1, defeating fourth-seeded Seton Hall in the opening game, then losing to second-seeded Rutgers. It then won three consecutive games to win the tournament and receive the Big East's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. As a two-seed at the Tallahassee Regional, the Friars lost their opener to Jacksonville, 7–5. They staved off elimination with a 12–1 win over The Citadel. In the 1–1 game, Providence fell behind 7–1, but rallied to win 9–8 in a game that saw a bench-clearing brawl and support from Florida State's fans. In the regional championship, Florida State defeated the Friars, 14–3, in the program's final game. The team's season was the subject of a book by Paul Lonardo and received national attention in the debate over Title IX.
Central Connecticut
Hickey was offered the head coaching position at Central Connecticut by retiring CCSU coach George Redman. Under Hickey, CCSU had a great deal of success in the early 2000s. The Blue Devils qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2002, 2003, and 2004, also winning NEC regular season titles in 2001 and 2006. Hickey was named NEC Coach of the Year in 2001, 2003, and 2006. Since 2006, CCSU has not won an NEC regular season title, but the Blue Devils won the NEC Tournament in 2010 to reach their fourth NCAA Tournament under Hickey. In 2012, Hickey surpassed Hank Majlinger to become Central Connecticut's winningest coach. In 2013, he won his 500th career game. In 2014, multiple Blue Devils were selected in the Major League Baseball Draftfor the first time in his tenure at CCSU– pitcher Nick Neumann was taken by the Pirates, and outfielder J.P. Sportman was taken by the Athletics.
Head coaching record
Below is a table of Hickey's yearly records as a collegiate head baseball coach.
