Western Kentucky LHP Cal Higgins commits to Texas out of NCAA transfer portal

Western Kentucky left-handed pitcher Cal Higgins has committed to Texas via the NCAA Transfer Portal, confirmed by On3’s Pete Nakos. Higgins was named a Second Team All-Conference USA selection in 2025.

The Kearney, Neb., native appeared in 22 games for Western Kentucky this season, pitching to a 1.87 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings. He struck out five batters while allowing just one hit and no runs in the Hilltoppers’ 8-6 loss to Ole Miss in the Oxford Regional.

The left-hander heads to the SEC after three seasons of Conference-USA baseball. Higgins boasts 98 career innings pitched, a 3.95 ERA and 103 strikeouts.

Higgins becomes Texas‘ fifth addition out of the portal. He joins Wichita State second baseman Josh Livingston, Butler outfielder Jack Moroknek, Georgia State infielder Kaleb Freeman and Seton Hall outfielder Aiden Robbins.

Texas Transfer Portal departures:

• LHP Chance Covert
• OF Tommy Farmer IV
• OF Donovan Jordan
• INF Carson Luna
• 3B/OF Sam Richardson
• OF Matthew Scott
• C Oliver Service
• INF Jaquae Stewart
• RHP Easton Tumis
• LHP/OF Ace Whitehead

Texas Transfer Portal additions:

• INF Kaleb Freeman (Georgia State)
• LHP Cal Higgins (Western Kentucky)
• INF Josh Livingston (Wichita State)
• OF Jack Moroknek (Butler)
• OF Aiden Robbins (Seton Hall)

Higgins will join a Longhorn program that saw a disappointing end to their 2025 season, in which they failed to advance out of the Austin Regional as the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Jim Schlossnagle‘s team won a conference-leading 20 SEC games this season and compiled a 44-14 record, but lost twice to UTSA in back-to-back days to end their season.

“I think we had a lot of things go our way the first 2/3 of the season,” Schlossnagle said following the end of Texas’ season. “We’d get the two-out hit, we’d make the two-strike pitch. The ball gets hit at us and we won a lot of close games. I think about the [Texas] A&M series. I think they had the tying and go-ahead run on base in all three games to end the game. So kind of living in the margins, but that’s where college baseball is.”

“That’s the difference between the teams that advance and the teams that don’t. I haven’t seen everything that went on today but there’s a lot of really good teams that aren’t playing anymore. That just means the game of baseball got them and there’s other good teams. UTSA is really good. I watched Wright State play and they’re good. Just because you’re in the SEC or a power-five league doesn’t mean there isn’t great baseball being played other places. You have to go play well at the right time.”

Over the span of its two games against UTSA, Texas’ offense hit for just a .260 average (19-73) and totaled 23 strikeouts. It also left 23 runners on base over the two games, including a whopping 14 in the 7-4 loss to end the season. Adding some quality bats in Freeman and Moroknek is certainly encouraging.

At the end of the day, offensive execution sunk a Longhorn team looking to make its first appearance in the Men’s College World Series since 2022. For now, it’s time to rebuild in the portal, and they are doing just that now.