Baseball Kelsey Olsen

Higgins To Enter Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV baseball associate head coach Kevin Higgins will enter the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 class, which will be inducted June 16 at the Dollar Loan Center. 

Higgins, who has been the associate head coach of the Hustlin' Rebels since 2016, has been a member of the Las Vegas baseball community for more than 30 years and was announced Saturday as part of the six-member induction class.

"I'm humbled and honored by this recognition from the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame," said associate head coach Kevin Higgins. "I've been fortunate to have had great coaches, players, friends and the love and support of my family. They are the ones responsible for this day."

Higgins' career in baseball began in 1989 after he was picked by the San Diego Padres in the 12th round of the draft out of Arizona State. He split the 1990 season between high-A Riverside and AA Wichita, before playing nine games at AAA Las Vegas. He then played both the 1991 and 1992 seasons for Las Vegas, hitting .288 his first year and .254 during his second. Higgins was called up to the Padres in May 1993, picking up a total of 40 hits in 181 at bats, before returning to Las Vegas for his final campaign in 1994.

Higgins made his coaching debut in the Las Vegas baseball community shortly after retiring from his playing career, with stops at both the high school and collegiate levels, including spending two years as a first base coach with the Las Vegas 51s, the then Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also served as the 51s' color analyst for two seasons. In 2010, Higgins served as the assistant coach at the College of Southern Nevada where he helped lead the Coyotes to the 2010 Region XVIII and Western District Championships as well as a third-place finish at the JUCO World Series. During that season, he helped mentor the team's catcher, current Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper, who was the first overall draft pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. 

Entering his 13th season with the UNLV baseball program, Higgins has helped the Rebels to two Mountain West regular-season titles (2014, 2022) and has mentored 28 Rebels to become Major League Baseball draftees. 

Joining Higgins in the 2023 class will be BMX star Connor Fields, former Nevada governor Kenny Guinn, former UNLV men's basketball head coach Lon Kruger, former UNLV women's basketball star Karen Weitz and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

-UNLV-
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