Owensboro High School alumnus Collier Higgs was selected to the Minority Baseball Prospects (MBP) All-Star Team for the third year in a row. Higgs and Team Michael Bourn defeated Team Carl Crawford 8-6 in the MBP HBCU All-Star Game in Houston, Texas over the weekend.
Taking place at the Darryl and Lori Schroeder Park at University of Houston, the MBP HBCU All-Star Weekend’s events included Fastest Man, Home Run Derby, MBP Kids’ Clinic, MBP Softball Game, Disney on the Yard sponsored Career Symposium and the Baseball All-Star Game.
The Baseball All-Star Game saw Team Michael Bourn beat Team Carl Crawford 8-6. Higgs had a key AB in the third inning as the bases were loaded and he watched ball 4 go by to bring in a game tying run at 2-2. He finished the game with 1 RBI and 1 hit.
Higgs was selected to Team Michael Bourn following his 2024 season with KSU where he recorded 14 HRs, batted .292 and hit 53 RBIs. This is his third consecutive MBP All-Star game that he’s been selected to attend. He became involved when he was selected in 2022 for his first MBP HBCU All-Star game. Higgs said being selected to the team was an honor as it allowed him to represent KSU in the sport he loves.
“It’s an honor for me to be selected and still be able to represent my university, Kentucky State,” he said. “Being a part of any HBCU event is special, even more so when it focuses on the sport I love.”
According to their website, MBP was founded in April of 2020 by Alexander Wyche and headquarters from Atlanta, GA. In 2022, the sister company Minority Softball Prospects (MSP) was created. MBP is the creator of more than 40 annual programming events, developing and spotlighting athletes from grade school to professional levels. Higgs along with countless other athletes have their talents showcased to both college and professional scouts alike.
Getting to compete against athletes from other HBCU’s is his favorite part of being involved in MBP as it’s something he can’t do regularly.
“My favorite part is working with other players from other HBCU’s which normally I would never have the opportunity to compete against,” he said. “I also enjoy the Kids clinic. Being able to help teach or to see the kids learn from us makes it all worthwhile.”
Being exposed to an atmosphere such as this allows players and coaches alike to network with others from universities around the country, Higgs said. This is particularly helpful to him as Higgs has stated that he is currently in the transfer portal in search of his next adventure. He recently finished his time with KSU having played 138 total games for the Thorobreds,, but he has one more year of eligibility due to his freshman and sophomore years being cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although he is unsure where and if he is going to play his final season, he still plans to finish out school and earn his Master’s Degree. He graduated last year as Valedictorian from KSU with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. As for baseball, he simply wishes to play for as long as God will allow him, he said.
“Luckily I have one more year of eligibility if I choose to take advantage of my opportunities,” he said. “I would love to go as far as God will allow. I plan to finish obtaining my master’s degree and just see where life takes me from there!”
