Morgan Higgins is an outlier in a Valparaiso lineup filled with talented upperclassmen.
But the 5-foot-6 freshman is playing like a varsity veteran. She’s one of the Vikings’ leading hitters this season.
“I definitely try to have the most confidence that I can when going into anything new,” she said. “Coming into this first high school season, I was hoping that I would excel like I did in travel ball. So I wouldn’t say that I’m surprised about how I’ve been playing.
“I definitely am very proud, though.”
A catcher and third baseman, Higgins was batting .474 with a 1.445 OPS powered by a .905 slugging percentage before a Duneland Athletic Conference win over Michigan City on Wednesday. She had 11 extra-base hits, including two home runs, and was leading the Vikings (12-5, 6-5) with 24 RBIs. She also had eight stolen bases.
In addition to having a versatile skill set, Higgins has shown a knack for being a clutch hitter. She hit a game-winning home run against LaPorte earlier this season.
“I didn’t actually take it all into context,” she said with a laugh. “I didn’t realize that was the game-winning home run. I was so excited that it was my first home run on varsity that I didn’t even really think about the fact that I had just helped us win.
“But then once I had realized that, I was so much more ecstatic because I knew that I had helped my team.”
Moments like that have made Valparaiso coach Tracy Corneil think Higgins will be a star.
“Morgan has great potential,” Corneil said. “It’s really just up to her to continue like these others. I think about her possibilities, and honestly I don’t want to put a ceiling on it. I think they’re unlimited.
“Something about this kid that I want you to know about — not only is she talented, but her softball IQ is super high. So I don’t really want to put a ceiling on her potential because I feel like it could be just about anything.”
Valparaiso seniors Elizabeth Kosek, a Olivet Nazarene commit who is batting a team-high .510 with a team-high eight home runs, and Dubuque commit Megan Sulcer, who has a team-best .976 fielding percentage, are seeing things from Higgins that they could hardly fathom.
“We were both freshmen on varsity, so we know about the intimidation factor coming in, and Morgan has adjusted really well,” Kosek said. “She’s already one of the best hitters on the team right now. She’s batting in the three hole today.
“It’s just really impressive to see how well she’s adapted from travel ball to coming in here as our only freshman in the lineup.”
Sulcer echoed Kosek in her praise for Higgins.
“My freshman year, I know I wasn’t batting as well as she is,” Sulcer said. “I was in the one-hundreds, and she’s in the four-hundreds, which is really impressive to me because she’s going against kids much older than her who have more years of experience under their belt.”
Sulcer is batting .381, an increase of more than 200 points from her freshman season. While it wouldn’t be fair to expect a similar jump from Higgins, Sulcer is eager to see what Higgins can accomplish over the next few years.
“I’m really excited to see where she goes because she’s going to improve so much more, and she’s already a very good player,” Sulcer said.
For Higgins, the plan is clear.
“My main goals in life are to go DI, get a good scholarship for softball and be able to continue playing after my high school career is over,” she said. “That’s what I strive for, and that’s what I work for.
“I used to be a player who thought that extra work was pointless. But the more work you put in, the more you see all the ways that you’re improving, and now I’ve gotten addicted to getting the extra work in, studying the game and getting extra reps because they help so much.”
Noah Poser is a freelance reporter.
