Davin Higgins, from the class of 2025 at Kitscoty High School, has bridged the gap for his imminent move away from home for collegiate baseball.
For the second half of his Grade 12 year, Higgins has been living in Lacombe and playing elite-level ball with two Red Deer-based teams, the 18U BAEL Rangers and the Central Alberta Sox Academy club.
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“Coming to Red Deer, I knew one other guy, but other than that, I didn’t know anybody,” he said after a full day of school and multiple baseball workouts. “It was good to get myself out there and meet new people in the baseball world and whatnot, so that social aspect was helpful.”
Higgins has also benefited from residing with an aunt and uncle in Lacombe, within 30 minutes of Red Deer.
From the first pitch, he felt a comfort zone, not only among family members but also with his new and like-minded Red Deer teammates.
“The first day of Rangers tryouts, I came across a lot of kids trying out from the Sox Academy and, honestly, that was probably the biggest motivation for me going into it, just because of how welcoming all the guys were,” said Higgins, 17. “They were all very nice and they just made it feel like it would be a good fit for me.”
With the demise of the 18U AAA Prairie Pirates program in Lloydminster, Higgins was in search of a place to play competitively this spring-summer season. He welcomed the opportunity to join a reputable Rangers team in the Baseball Alberta Elite League (BAEL). He transferred to Hunting Hills High School in Red Deer and gained double development time while training daily with both the Rangers and Sox.
In mid-April, Higgins helped the Sox Academy win the 18U division in the prestigious Best of the West tournament at Kamloops, B.C.
Since then, he’s been a go-to catcher with Red Deer in BAEL regular-season action. The Rangers are among the league’s top teams, sitting in second place with a 14-10 record through June 10.
While also contributing as a right-handed pitcher on occasion, Higgins has been a mainstay behind the plate, embracing the athleticism and the leadership role that comes with the position.
“Yeah, like some guys say, it’s called the quarterback of the team,” he said. “I like how you get to lead the team. You have responsibility for picking up your teammates and setting the tone for the team.”
Back in the day, his father Jason was also a catcher, setting an example for his son to follow suit.
REMEMBERING HIS GRANDMA
Family ties remain a common thread in Davin Higgins’ baseball journey. His parents are faithful fans at ballparks throughout Alberta. He also wears a chain holding a baseball pendant carrying his late grandmother’s ashes.
“She was heavily Christian and very loved in our family,” he said. “It’s something that I like to wear.”
Higgins also has Biblical verses stitched in his baseball hat — and on his flashy new Rawlings glove — reminding him to stay the course on and off the field.
“When things don’t go well in a game or you feel you’re in a bad spot, just being able to look at the Bible verses in my cap or on my glove, it helps calm you and reminds you that you have the potential, and you’ve just got to show it,” Higgins said.
When he won a $600-plus catcher’s mitt from Baseball Alberta, his custom design included his nickname Higgy, his favourite No. 11 and lettering that reads Luke 1:37.
“The verse goes something along the lines of nothing shall be impossible with God,” he said. “When you’re in a deep hole, it’s just a good reminder that you can work back, it’ll work out, and that I have God on my side.”
Higgins also has confidence on his side. He believes moving away from home and playing among high achievers has helped him play better ball than in past years.
“Honestly, I know from my past history, messing up is always something you’re naturally scared of doing and it makes you play tight sometimes,” he said. “But in this academy and with the BAEL team, all the guys and the coaches create a really relaxed environment. It helps you play loose, and I think that’s a big reason for the team success all around.
“I’ve played baseball a long time and I’ve never had an opportunity like this one. The coaching is super good here. The guys are awesome. I love having all the ball. It gets tiring sometimes, but more times than not, I love it.”
BEAT THE HEAT
Higgins, about six-foot-two and 180 pounds, has been a workhorse with the Rangers all season. That was his especially the case recently when
fellow catcher Jude Klassen was sidelined with an injury. With temperatures reaching 30 C, Higgins caught all four games, three of them victories, in a weekend series against the Webber Wildcats in Calgary.
“Davin is fitting in really well,” said Red Deer coach Tom Rodzinyak, who normally rotates his two catchers.
“He’s not afraid to get dirty, and you need that as a catcher. That’s your game — blocking balls, no matter what. You’ve got all that gear on, and with the sunny, hot days, you’ve got to be able to get down and dirty. He’s really good at that. He’s not afraid.
“It’s hard work for anyone. When we had Klassen go down, Davin stepped up and caught (even more) and did really well.”
Higgins has embraced a Red Deer coaching philosophy that underlines playing with confidence and showing up to the field with purpose.
“A big word used is swagger,” Higgins said. “I totally believe in the look-good, feel-good, play-good approach.
“Just with things like eye-black and sunglasses. I like looking good and it helps me feel good. Swagger is a big part. It helps you play confidently.”
It’s no wonder Higgins respects the history of baseball and the subtleties that have become traditions in the game.
He and his father follow Major League Baseball closely, as the MLB standings board displayed prominently on their Kitscoty basement wall would attest. The extensive board features team logos and removable nameplates to adjust standings accordingly.
Another wall is lined with a string of MLB jerseys.
Higgins developed that passion for the game from his father and while playing minor ball in Kitscoty and later in Lloydminster.
The only weekend he hasn’t suited up with Red Deer this season was in May when he returned home to attend his Kitscoty graduation. He was reunited with his childhood friends from school and multiple sports.
“I miss a lot of the guys and girls, all the friends from back home, so that sucks a little bit,” he said about being away for the final half of his graduation year. “But it was nice to be back for grad weekend.”
SETTING UP FOR COLLEGE
Higgins plans to make another move in August to begin his power-engineering studies at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). At the same time, he’ll kick off his college baseball career with the Edmonton Collegiate Hawks.
One of Higgins’ former Prairie Pirates teammates, Logan McMillan of Bonnyville, is also committed to the Hawks. They’re going to room together in Edmonton.
Rodzinyak, the Rangers’ coach, said Higgins is setting himself up well for collegiate ball, showing solid skills not only as a catcher but also as a rangy pitcher.
“With his work ethic and how hard he works, he’s got the capability,” Rodzinyak said. “He’s got a few things to work on with his game, for catching, but I think he’s got a bright future in it.
“Coaches down in the States, or even in Canadian college baseball programs, if they see Davin’s big frame and all that, they might possibly move him in as a pitcher, too. He’s got some good movement and so forth. We’ve got a good coach in Harold Northcott, pitching coach with Team Canada in the past, working with us, so hopefully that will help Davin, too.”
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