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Texas Longhorns land lefty pitcher in baseball transfer portal
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AUSTIN (KXAN) — When watching Cal Higgins sling a baseball from the pitcher's mound, it makes sense when a batter doesn't make contact.
Higgins entered the transfer portal after a season where the lanky lefthander pitched over 43 innings to the tune of a 1.87 ERA for Western Kentucky. The veteran announced Friday he will be heading from Bowling Green to Austin as part of the 2026 Texas Longhorns roster.
Higgins, in his last season with the Hilltoppers, earned All-Conference USA Second Team honors. He helped WKU to the NCAA Tournament after they claimed the conference tournament title. Higgins spent three years with the Hilltoppers after starting his college career at Iowa Western Community College.
In Higgins' final outing of 2025, he struck out five Ole Miss Rebels in 2.2 scoreless innings pitched in the NCAA Oxford Regional. The standout reliever recorded six saves out of the bullpen and was stretched out to four innings multiple times last season.
In the Conference USA tournament championship, the Nebraska native tossed four innings and allowed just one run. Higgins struck out 52 hitters in 43.1 innings. He walked just 11 batters.
Texas boasted one of the best relievers in baseball this past year with fellow lefty Dylan Volantis, who earned All-America honors.