Michigan State University Athletics
2026 Michigan State Spartans Baseball Roster
Roster
INF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballRHP/INF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballOF/LHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballINF/OF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
Jersey Number 41
Nolan Higgins
- Position:
- RHP
- Height:
- 6-4
- Weight:
- 215
- B/T::
- R/R
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Wixom, Mich.
- High School:
- Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS
CAREER NOTES: A three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree ... Made 75 career appearances with nine wins and six saves, firing 160 strikeouts in 171.2 IP ... Was starter for majority of Spartan career, including all 15 appearances coming as starts in junior season of 2025, before shifting to backend of MSU’s bullpen and was primary closer as a senior in 2026.
2026 (SENIOR): Named to Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list ... Earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades ... After being primarily a starter for first three years as a Spartan, including being a starter in weekend rotation entire junior season, shifted to back end of bullpen, mainly as MSU’s closer ... Made 27 appearances, all in relief, leading MSU and ranking tied for ninth in the Big Ten with four saves, part of topping the team by finishing 17 games, including back-to-back games in the Big Ten Tournament, finishing off both of No. 12 seed MSU’s historic wins as the first No. 12 seed to win not only one but two games in the B1G Tournament with an 8-4 win over No. 5 seed Purdue on May 19 and a 4-3 nailbiter over No. 8 seed Iowa the next day ... Led team in appearances, games in relief, saves and games finished, while sharing the team lead for strikeouts with starter Aidan Donovan, chalking up 62 Ks ... Posted a 12.4 strikeouts/9 inning average ... Logged a 5.20 ERA with a 3-4 record with four saves, with 62 strikeouts in 45.0 IP in 27 appearances, all in relief ... Chalked up a season-high five strikeouts vs. Washington (April 17) ... Rang up multiple strikeouts in 19 appearances, including a stretch of eight-straight games (March 6-April 8), along with another stretch of six games in a row (April 26-May 16), finishing season with multiple Ks in seven of final nine outings ... Chalked up four punchouts in five different outings ... Had eight appearances without a hit allowed, including three-straight outings (April 19-26) ... Did not allow a run of any kind in 13 outings, including a stretch of four-straight outings (April 17-26) ... Did not yield an earned run in 16 outings, including the final six-straight games of season, highlighted by all three appearances in the B1G Tournament ... Did not give up a walk in 17 outings on the season, including a five-game stretch (April 17-26) and in the last four games of season, also highlighted by all three outings in the B1G Tournament, finishing the season with a walk in 10 of last 12 outings of the season ... Earned a win in first appearance of season, going 2.0 IP with four Ks in the upset Victory for MSU at No. 8 Louisville on Feb. 13 ... Collected first save of season on March 20 vs. Iowa ... Picked up second save on April 8 at Notre Dame, with 2.0 IP with three strikeouts and no runs allowed ... Collected save number three of the season on May 9 at Ohio State, going 2.0 IP without a hit or run and posting four punchouts ... Earned fourth and final save of season on May 20 vs. Iowa in Big Ten Tournament, going 1.0 IP with two Ks and no hits or runs ... Collected second win of season on March 27 vs. Purdue, then earned third win of year on April 17 at Washington ... Fielded position and executed PFP drills with two assists and two putouts.
2025 (JUNIOR): Garnered Academic All-Big Ten recognition ... Made 15 appearances, all starts, collecting three wins and firing 39 Ks in 61.1 IP with a 7.04 ERA ... Ranked tied for second on team in both wins and innings pitched, while sharing team-lead in games started with teammate and MLB Draft pick Joseph Dzierwa ... Was also third on team in strikeouts and tied for sixth on team in appearances ... Chalked up a season-high five strikeouts in two outings, first on March 7 vs. Cornell at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. ... Matched that outing with five Ks vs. Minnesota on May 17 vs. Minnesota in regular-season finale, helping Spartans to win over Gophers and clinch spot in B1G Tournament ... Went season-long 6.0 IP in three outings, part of 10 starts going 4.0 or more IP, with all three wins coming in outings of 4.0 IP ... Earned first win of season in first start of year, going 6.0 IP vs. Monmouth on Feb. 15 at USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C. ... Collected second and third wins of season in back-to-back outings, going 6.0 IP with two Ks vs. Northwestern on April 13 and third win of year a week later, with 5.0 IP with a pair of punchouts vs. Ohio State on April 20 ... Started season with four or more Ks in first four outings, part of eight outings with three or more strikeouts, adding streak in last three-straight regular-season starts ... Had one outing without a run allowed, vs. Monmouth on Feb. 15, while separate outing without a walk, coming on May 11 at No. 25 USC ... Fielded position with eight assists and five putouts.
2024 (SOPHOMORE): Earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades ... Made 20 appearances with two starts, logging a 1-3 record with two saves, tallying 31 strikeouts and 26 walks in 34.1 IP ... Fired a career-high seven strikeouts in earning win after starting season-opener going season-long 5.1 IP vs. Merrimack (Feb. 16) .... Held opposition to two or fewer hits in nine outings, including no hits vs. Penn State (April 19) and vs. Michigan (May 5) ... Did not yield a run in nine outings ... Fired three or more strikeouts in four outings, as along with the seven Ks vs. Merrimack, added four punchouts in 2.0 IP vs. Notre Dame (April 30), three Ks in 1.2 IP at Maryland (March 24) and three strikeouts in 2.0 IP vs. Eastern Michigan (May 14) ... Was part of catching three stolen base attempts, ranking second on the pitching staff ... Fielded position with five putouts and three assists in eight fielding chances without an error.
2023 (FRESHMAN): Posted a 4-2 record and matched jersey number by logging 41 strikeouts, along with 26 walks in 46.2 IP with 16 appearances, including seven starts, with a 6.56 ERA ... In nine relief appearances, had staff bests of 1.83 ERA and 3-0 record with 19 Ks and 12 BB, holding the opposition to .176 in 19.2 IP ... Overall, ranked fourth on the team in games started (7), tied for fourth in strikeouts (41), fifth on team in opposing batting average (.257), and wins (4), along with tied for fifth in appearances (16) ... Made Spartan and collegiate debut on Feb. 19, going 1.1 IP with one K, one hit and no runs ni 1.1 IP vs. Arizona in MLB Desert Invite in Phoenix ... Tallied season-high six strikeouts in 4.0 relief innings vs. Oakland (April 12) ... Had three other outings with five punchouts each, including back-to-back outings, going 4.1 IP with five Ks and one hit, one run at Charleston Southern (March 4), then five Ks with seven hits in 2.2 IP vs. Wofford (March 8), also rang up five punchouts in a 4.2 IP starting effort at Iowa (May 13) ... Had three or more Ks in six outings ... Went season-long 6.2 IP in start vs. Northwestern, earning the win after chalking up four Ks, with three hits, and three runs ... Logged two outings without a hit, in addition to four other outings yielding only one hit ... Also registered six outings without a run ... Fielded position with pitching staff-best five putouts and tying for the staff lead with eight assists, highlighted by season-high two putouts vs. Oakland (April 12) and four assists vs. Northwestern (April 29).
HIGH SCHOOL: Was a two-year letterwinner at Orchard Lake Saint Mary’s Prep for head coach Matt Petry ... Helped St. Mary’s to a 44-0 record in 2022, winning the MHSAA Division 1 state title, the Eaglets’ third-straight title, moving up from Division 2 after the 2021 season ... St. Mary’s also became the 11th Michigan high school team to reach 40 victories, and the Eaglets were ranked No. 1 in the country by MaxPreps and No. 2 by Perfect Game, becoming the first Michigan school since national baseball rankings began in 1976 to finish No. 1 ... St. Mary’s Prep has won 66 consecutive games and is 87-1 over the past two years and 121-10-2 over the last three season during the three-peat having had COVID season of 2020 cancelled in keeping them from a four-peat ... In 2021, St. Mary’s earned the No. 1 spot on Collegiate Baseball’s 2021 National High School Poll, finishing the season with a 43-1 record, winning its second-straight Michigan Division 2 state title, ending the season with 22-straight wins ... Earned honorable mention 2022 Baseball Dream Team honors ... Rated as the No. 13 RHP/OF in the state of Michigan and the No. 38 overall player in the state by Prep Baseball Report ... Rated as the No. 12 RHP/1B/OF in the state of Michigan and No. 32 overall player by Perfect Game ... Played summer league for Southwest Oakland Warriors and Capital City Kings.
PERSONAL: Son of Monica and Michael Higgins ... Graduated from MSU in summer of 2026 with degree in communication ... Lists greatest athletic experience as winning the national championship with Orchard Lake Saint Mary’s.
2026 (SENIOR): Named to Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list ... Earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades ... After being primarily a starter for first three years as a Spartan, including being a starter in weekend rotation entire junior season, shifted to back end of bullpen, mainly as MSU’s closer ... Made 27 appearances, all in relief, leading MSU and ranking tied for ninth in the Big Ten with four saves, part of topping the team by finishing 17 games, including back-to-back games in the Big Ten Tournament, finishing off both of No. 12 seed MSU’s historic wins as the first No. 12 seed to win not only one but two games in the B1G Tournament with an 8-4 win over No. 5 seed Purdue on May 19 and a 4-3 nailbiter over No. 8 seed Iowa the next day ... Led team in appearances, games in relief, saves and games finished, while sharing the team lead for strikeouts with starter Aidan Donovan, chalking up 62 Ks ... Posted a 12.4 strikeouts/9 inning average ... Logged a 5.20 ERA with a 3-4 record with four saves, with 62 strikeouts in 45.0 IP in 27 appearances, all in relief ... Chalked up a season-high five strikeouts vs. Washington (April 17) ... Rang up multiple strikeouts in 19 appearances, including a stretch of eight-straight games (March 6-April 8), along with another stretch of six games in a row (April 26-May 16), finishing season with multiple Ks in seven of final nine outings ... Chalked up four punchouts in five different outings ... Had eight appearances without a hit allowed, including three-straight outings (April 19-26) ... Did not allow a run of any kind in 13 outings, including a stretch of four-straight outings (April 17-26) ... Did not yield an earned run in 16 outings, including the final six-straight games of season, highlighted by all three appearances in the B1G Tournament ... Did not give up a walk in 17 outings on the season, including a five-game stretch (April 17-26) and in the last four games of season, also highlighted by all three outings in the B1G Tournament, finishing the season with a walk in 10 of last 12 outings of the season ... Earned a win in first appearance of season, going 2.0 IP with four Ks in the upset Victory for MSU at No. 8 Louisville on Feb. 13 ... Collected first save of season on March 20 vs. Iowa ... Picked up second save on April 8 at Notre Dame, with 2.0 IP with three strikeouts and no runs allowed ... Collected save number three of the season on May 9 at Ohio State, going 2.0 IP without a hit or run and posting four punchouts ... Earned fourth and final save of season on May 20 vs. Iowa in Big Ten Tournament, going 1.0 IP with two Ks and no hits or runs ... Collected second win of season on March 27 vs. Purdue, then earned third win of year on April 17 at Washington ... Fielded position and executed PFP drills with two assists and two putouts.
2025 (JUNIOR): Garnered Academic All-Big Ten recognition ... Made 15 appearances, all starts, collecting three wins and firing 39 Ks in 61.1 IP with a 7.04 ERA ... Ranked tied for second on team in both wins and innings pitched, while sharing team-lead in games started with teammate and MLB Draft pick Joseph Dzierwa ... Was also third on team in strikeouts and tied for sixth on team in appearances ... Chalked up a season-high five strikeouts in two outings, first on March 7 vs. Cornell at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. ... Matched that outing with five Ks vs. Minnesota on May 17 vs. Minnesota in regular-season finale, helping Spartans to win over Gophers and clinch spot in B1G Tournament ... Went season-long 6.0 IP in three outings, part of 10 starts going 4.0 or more IP, with all three wins coming in outings of 4.0 IP ... Earned first win of season in first start of year, going 6.0 IP vs. Monmouth on Feb. 15 at USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C. ... Collected second and third wins of season in back-to-back outings, going 6.0 IP with two Ks vs. Northwestern on April 13 and third win of year a week later, with 5.0 IP with a pair of punchouts vs. Ohio State on April 20 ... Started season with four or more Ks in first four outings, part of eight outings with three or more strikeouts, adding streak in last three-straight regular-season starts ... Had one outing without a run allowed, vs. Monmouth on Feb. 15, while separate outing without a walk, coming on May 11 at No. 25 USC ... Fielded position with eight assists and five putouts.
2024 (SOPHOMORE): Earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades ... Made 20 appearances with two starts, logging a 1-3 record with two saves, tallying 31 strikeouts and 26 walks in 34.1 IP ... Fired a career-high seven strikeouts in earning win after starting season-opener going season-long 5.1 IP vs. Merrimack (Feb. 16) .... Held opposition to two or fewer hits in nine outings, including no hits vs. Penn State (April 19) and vs. Michigan (May 5) ... Did not yield a run in nine outings ... Fired three or more strikeouts in four outings, as along with the seven Ks vs. Merrimack, added four punchouts in 2.0 IP vs. Notre Dame (April 30), three Ks in 1.2 IP at Maryland (March 24) and three strikeouts in 2.0 IP vs. Eastern Michigan (May 14) ... Was part of catching three stolen base attempts, ranking second on the pitching staff ... Fielded position with five putouts and three assists in eight fielding chances without an error.
2023 (FRESHMAN): Posted a 4-2 record and matched jersey number by logging 41 strikeouts, along with 26 walks in 46.2 IP with 16 appearances, including seven starts, with a 6.56 ERA ... In nine relief appearances, had staff bests of 1.83 ERA and 3-0 record with 19 Ks and 12 BB, holding the opposition to .176 in 19.2 IP ... Overall, ranked fourth on the team in games started (7), tied for fourth in strikeouts (41), fifth on team in opposing batting average (.257), and wins (4), along with tied for fifth in appearances (16) ... Made Spartan and collegiate debut on Feb. 19, going 1.1 IP with one K, one hit and no runs ni 1.1 IP vs. Arizona in MLB Desert Invite in Phoenix ... Tallied season-high six strikeouts in 4.0 relief innings vs. Oakland (April 12) ... Had three other outings with five punchouts each, including back-to-back outings, going 4.1 IP with five Ks and one hit, one run at Charleston Southern (March 4), then five Ks with seven hits in 2.2 IP vs. Wofford (March 8), also rang up five punchouts in a 4.2 IP starting effort at Iowa (May 13) ... Had three or more Ks in six outings ... Went season-long 6.2 IP in start vs. Northwestern, earning the win after chalking up four Ks, with three hits, and three runs ... Logged two outings without a hit, in addition to four other outings yielding only one hit ... Also registered six outings without a run ... Fielded position with pitching staff-best five putouts and tying for the staff lead with eight assists, highlighted by season-high two putouts vs. Oakland (April 12) and four assists vs. Northwestern (April 29).
HIGH SCHOOL: Was a two-year letterwinner at Orchard Lake Saint Mary’s Prep for head coach Matt Petry ... Helped St. Mary’s to a 44-0 record in 2022, winning the MHSAA Division 1 state title, the Eaglets’ third-straight title, moving up from Division 2 after the 2021 season ... St. Mary’s also became the 11th Michigan high school team to reach 40 victories, and the Eaglets were ranked No. 1 in the country by MaxPreps and No. 2 by Perfect Game, becoming the first Michigan school since national baseball rankings began in 1976 to finish No. 1 ... St. Mary’s Prep has won 66 consecutive games and is 87-1 over the past two years and 121-10-2 over the last three season during the three-peat having had COVID season of 2020 cancelled in keeping them from a four-peat ... In 2021, St. Mary’s earned the No. 1 spot on Collegiate Baseball’s 2021 National High School Poll, finishing the season with a 43-1 record, winning its second-straight Michigan Division 2 state title, ending the season with 22-straight wins ... Earned honorable mention 2022 Baseball Dream Team honors ... Rated as the No. 13 RHP/OF in the state of Michigan and the No. 38 overall player in the state by Prep Baseball Report ... Rated as the No. 12 RHP/1B/OF in the state of Michigan and No. 32 overall player by Perfect Game ... Played summer league for Southwest Oakland Warriors and Capital City Kings.
PERSONAL: Son of Monica and Michael Higgins ... Graduated from MSU in summer of 2026 with degree in communication ... Lists greatest athletic experience as winning the national championship with Orchard Lake Saint Mary’s.
Tuesday, February 24
Monday, February 16
Monday, January 26
Monday, May 19
