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Less than a day after going undrafted, former Longhorn Cal Higgins found a new home. The Nebraska native signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday and can now focus on starting his professional career. While his career with Texas was full of ups and downs, Higgins did enough to catch the attention of the Phillies front office and scouts. During the 2026 campaign, Higgins posted a 5.56 ERA in 11.1 innings of work. While the Kearney High alum struggled to limit hard contact, he did strikeout 16 batters and added one win to his resume. Those numbers may not jump off the page, but Higgins had a solid track record before transferring to Texas.
The newest member of the Phillies organization began his college career at Western Kentucky. Higgins posted a 3.18 ERA during his sophomore season before taking his game to another level. As a junior, he recorded a 1.87 ERA in 22 games while striking out 52 batters. The talented lefty also pitched in some high-leverage situations, adding six saves to his resume.
As Higgins begins the next chapter of his baseball career, he will be around a familiar face. The Phillies used the 100th overall pick on former Longhorns ace Ruger Riojas. Having a former teammate also making the transition to the next level should make life easier for Higgins as he continues to improve his game.
Over the last few days, Longhorns baseball has had plenty to celebrate. Higgins joined Carson Tinney, Aiden Robbins, Thomas Burns, Luke Harrison, and Cody Howard as alumni who were either drafted or signed by an MLB team this year. That is not bad company to be in.
Now, for Higgins, the focus will be to show that he can be a piece of the Phillies' future as he moves closer to the majors.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Former Longhorn Cal Higgins signs with Philadelphia Phillies
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Cal Higgins#RingTheBell
Cal Higgins (@WVBlackBears) is signing a UDFA deal with the @Phillies!
4/1 G/S, 5.1 IP, 8 K pic.twitter.com/25C28spDdh
— MLB Draft League (@mlbdraftleague) July 14, 2026
The newest member of the Phillies organization began his college career at Western Kentucky. Higgins posted a 3.18 ERA during his sophomore season before taking his game to another level. As a junior, he recorded a 1.87 ERA in 22 games while striking out 52 batters. The talented lefty also pitched in some high-leverage situations, adding six saves to his resume.
As Higgins begins the next chapter of his baseball career, he will be around a familiar face. The Phillies used the 100th overall pick on former Longhorns ace Ruger Riojas. Having a former teammate also making the transition to the next level should make life easier for Higgins as he continues to improve his game.
Over the last few days, Longhorns baseball has had plenty to celebrate. Higgins joined Carson Tinney, Aiden Robbins, Thomas Burns, Luke Harrison, and Cody Howard as alumni who were either drafted or signed by an MLB team this year. That is not bad company to be in.
Now, for Higgins, the focus will be to show that he can be a piece of the Phillies' future as he moves closer to the majors.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Former Longhorn Cal Higgins signs with Philadelphia Phillies
Continue reading...
