While there aren’t any teams representing Nebraska in the College World Series, that doesn’t mean the participating teams don’t have anyone from the state. In fact, pitchers Cal Higgins and Tyler Fay are both Nebraska high school graduates getting to take in everything Omaha has to offer from a very different perspective.
According to NebPreps, Higgins and Fay are the only two players who spent their high school days in Nebraska taking part in the College World Series, but considering Higgins went to Texas and Fay went to Alabama, it’s more than a little impressive that they managed to come “home” and play for the sport’s ultimate prize.
Both former Nebraska prep stars will sit and wait when the College World Series starts on Friday afternoon. Texas and Alabama are in the same bracket and will play their games on Saturday. Because they're in the same bracket, it's entirely possible that both former Nebraska high school stars could face off against each other, either in the winner's or loser's bracket of the opening round of the CWS.
Cal Higgins arrived at Texas by way of Western Kentucky after graduating from Kearney High. Before entering college, he was a 2021 All-State Second Team Member. In 2019, he helped lead the Bearcats to the Class A state championship, Nebraska's highest class. Over the course of his impressive career, he set Kearney school records with 16 strikeouts in a single game, 82 strikeouts in a season, 119 strikeouts in a career, and a 0.99 ERA.
Cal Higgins and Tyler Fay give Nebraska baseball fans a College World Series rooting angle
After high school, Higgins spent one year at Iowa Western CC, and in 202, he made his way to the Hilltoppers. His first year with the Sun Belt team was a struggle as he adapted to the higher level. Still, by his senior season, he was one of the best relievers in the conference, appearing in 22 games and posting a 1.87 ERA, a 3-2 record, and six saves. Higgins tallied 52 strikeouts in 43.1 innings with an opposing batting average of .190. That 1.87 ERA is tied for the 10th-best single-season ERA in program history. After the 2025 season, he transferred to Texas.
While he didn't log a ton of action for the Longhorns (just 11.1 innings), he was still quite the strikeout artist, logging 16 Ks in those innings. Despite a 5.56 ERA this season, a team that needs plenty of depth to get through the College World Series might turn to Higgins at some point.
Fay also hails from the tri-city area, as he went to Grand Island Senior High. The redshirt junior for the Crimson Tide was the team's Friday night starter, and he has been nothing short of impressive all season, posting an 11-4 record while striking out 121 hitters in 103 innings. Doing so has led Alabama to Omaha for the first time since 1999.
Now the former Nebraska prep star will get his chance to shine at 2 p.m. Saturday at Charles Schwab Field against the intra-conference Oklahoma Sooners.
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