Kevin Higgins was originally hired in 2010 as an assistant coach to oversee the team's infielders and catchers, but now enters his 14th overall season and eighth as the associate head coach with the UNLV baseball program in 2024. The Hustlin' Rebels are have maintained a dynamic offense, recently named the 2022 Mountain West Regular-Season Champions with an impressive conference mark of 21-9. The 2022 squad marked the second ever team in program history to hit the 7-0 mark in conference play, the previous being 1988's squad.
Over the past nine seasons the Rebels have had 29 Major League Baseball draftees, which includes 14 that Higgins mentored offensively. Most recently, Jacob Sharp was picked up by the Seattle Mariners in the 2023 MLB Draft in the 17th round. The Philadelphia Phillies selected Bryson Stott in the first round with the 14th overall pick, and the Minnesota Twins took Max Smith in the 31st round. In 2018, Kyle Isbel (third round/Royals), Nick Ames (15th/Tigers) and Nick Rodriguez (22nd/Mariners) were selected, while Payton Squier (16th) and Justin Jones (34th) were chosen by the Oakland A's and Ernie De La Trinidad (19th) was taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017. Both T.J. White and Patrick Armstrong were picked by the Minnesota Twins and Anaheim Angels, respectively, in 2014, while Armstrong's brother, Joey, was tabbed by the Diamondbacks' one year later.
Since 2011, Higgins has had 22 student-athletes named to the All-Mountain West Team a total of 24 times with 17 first-team nods, including three by Brandon Bayardi (2011-13). Patrick Armstrong, Trent Cook, Justin Jones and White were two-time All-MW Team honorees.
Higgins also helped Isbel, Stott, and, most recently, Edarian Williams earn MW Co-Freshmen of the Year recognition in 2016, '17, and '19 respectively. The trio were also named to Collegiate Baseball's Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Teams, becoming the third, fourth and fifth Rebels to achieve the feat since pitchers Zack Hartman (2011) and Erick Fedde (2012) did so.
The Scarlet & Gray has had 18 student-athletes claim MW Player of the Week honors 25 times over. Both Rance Roundy and Travis Feiner earned weekly distinction twice in 2011, as did Rodriguez in 2018. In fact, Rodriguez joined teammates Nick Ames, Isbel, Stott and Max Smith in claiming six of the league's 14 weekly awards last season. In 2019, Jack-Thomas Wold and Stott were back-to-back-to-back recipients of the award, as each won it twice from March 25 to April 15.
Since 2011, the Rebel offense has hit .300 or better three times and .270 or better in all 10 of his seasons at UNLV. In 2018, the team posted a .310 batting average, which ranked sixth nationally and was the team's best since 2013's .307 clip. The batting average was aided by 662 hits, which were the seventh most in the country and the most by the team since 2013's 630.
Besides the top-10 showings by the offense in average and hits, UNLV was second in doubles per game (2.39) and seventh in doubles (141) and slugging percentage (.487). In all, the team was ranked in the top 50 of 13 different categories.
In 2019, the Rebels had the 40th-best batting average (.291) and was 33rd in hits (598). The team was also 52nd in doubles (111).
In 2017, the offense produced a .299 batting average off of 592 hits, which ranked 34th and 53rd, respectively, in the NCAA. Additionally, the team was 24th in triples (20) and 91st in home runs (49) - both figures were most by a Rebel team since Higgins came to UNLV. With help of the extra-base hits, the squad posted the nation's 43rd-best slugging percentage (.447).
Higgins served as an 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, Bryce Harper, who was the first overall draft pick in the 2010 MLB Draft.
Prior to his stint with CSN, Higgins enjoyed a standout collegiate career himself as well as coaching stops at both the high school and collegiate level, including spending two years as first base coach with the Las Vegas 51s, the then Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Higgins also served as the 51s' color analyst for two seasons.
Higgins spent two years at Los Angeles Harbor College where he served as a co-captain and was named all-league, all-district twice as well as a Junior College All-American.
Higgins then transferred to Arizona State University where he would go on to earn All-America honors as a second baseman and start in 134 straight games for the Sun Devils. He was a two-time All-Pac 10 First Team selection at second base, tri-captain and recipient of the Mr. Sun Devil Award for Leadership.
Following the 1988 season in which Higgins batted .361 with 108 hits, including 34 for extra bases in addition to 68 RBI and 11 stolen bases, he was named First-Team All-America by Baseball America. The following season, Higgins helped ASU to a national runner-up finish at the College World Series in addition to being selected a First Team All-Region second baseman and named to the All-Decade Team (1980-89) at second base.
In 1989 Higgins was drafted in the 12th round by the San Diego Padres and spent five seasons in the organization, earning several notable honors in that span. Higgins was the Double-A batting champion in the Texas League in 1990 and was called up the Padres three years later on May 28, 1993, finishing the season as the San Diego's starting catcher and also playing a variety of other positions.
Kevin and his wife Debbie are the parents of three daughters, Kylie, Kacie, and Kendall, and one son, Kade. The Higgins family resides in Summerlin.
