Kearney native Cal Higgins returns to Nebraska with Texas for College World Series

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) – Cal Higgins transferred to Texas this season, joining one of the premier teams in college baseball. His path to Omaha was a long one, starting back in high school.

Higgins didn’t start playing NSAA sanctioned baseball until his sophomore year, when Kearney added baseball as a sport. He helped the Bearcats make state in their first year as a program.

Iowa Western was the only school willing to give Higgins a chance. He played one season there before following his coaches to Western Kentucky.

At Western Kentucky, he was part of building a program’s foundation at the Division I level. His time as a Hilltopper culminated in 2025, where he appeared in 22 games and posted an ERA of 1.87, good for the 10th best in program history.

Higgins helped lead the Hilltoppers to their first conference title. His time with Western Kentucky ended in the regional round, losing to Ole Miss in a game he threw 2.2 shutout frames with five strikeouts.

“It was pretty beautiful. Definitely an awesome closing of that chapter. Just had a great group of guys that were just even more bought in than the previous years,” Higgins said. “I knew that there were more opportunities out there and I wanted to explore them, wanted to have the amazing experiences that I’ve had.”

Higgins entered the transfer portal to find the final home of his college career. When a program as rich in tradition as Texas came calling, it was a decision he made quickly.

He’s pitched 11.1 innings this year for a deep Longhorn team that’s raced out to a 45-13 record. The year is culminating in Omaha, with Higgins’ return to Nebraska as an athlete for the first time since 2021.

“It’s pretty full circle, pretty surreal. Touched down at Eppley and just got a watery eye, just looking over the state I grew up in, literally, and then literally flying over the state I played in for a year,” Higgins said. “That was pretty cool, just to be back home.”

The Longhorns take the field Saturday for their first game of the Men’s College World Series against an SEC foe, the Georgia Bulldogs. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. and it will be on ESPN.

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