Picture of Ben Higgins courtesy of Carl Sandburg College Athletics
GALESBURG — Carl Sandburg College baseball freshmen Ben Higgins (Macomb, Ill./Macomb) and Abe Collins (Morton, Ill./Morton) were voted to the All-Region IV Division II Team for their outstanding play this spring.
Higgins was a first-team selection at designated hitter, while Collins voted to the outfield on the second team. Both were also among the five Chargers selected last month to the All-Arrowhead Conference Team.
The Chargers’ center fielder, Higgins played in all 57 games for Sandburg this spring and led the team in batting average (.386), on-base percentage (.470), slugging percentage (.707) and OPS (1.177) over 217 plate appearances. He also topped the Chargers with 71 hits, 10 home runs, seven triples, 59 runs, 32 extra-base hits and 130 total bases.
Higgins finished second among Sandburg players with 44 RBIs, 15 doubles and 17 stolen bases (while being caught just twice). He hit safely in 45 of the Chargers’ 57 games this season and swatted a pair of homers in both ends of Sandburg’s doubleheader sweep over Oakton on May 1.
A lefthanded-hitting freshman outfielder, Collins had 208 plate appearances over 55 games and led the Chargers with 27 stolen bases and 30 walks. He finished second to Higgins in several offensive categories, including batting average (.370), on-base percentage (.469), hits (64), runs (52) and triples (four). Collins also was fourth on the team in slugging (.555), OPS (1.024), home runs (four), RBIs (33) and total bases (96).
2021 ALL-REGION IV DIVISION II BASEBALL TEAM
Player of the Year — AJ Henkle (freshman, McHenry County)
First Team
Pitchers — Payton Lawrence (freshman, Black Hawk), Dylan Wolf (freshman, Kankakee), Reagan Klawiter (freshman, Madison)
Catcher — Tony Krueger (sophomore, Lake County)
Infielders — Jack Hines (freshman, McHenry County), Owen Jackson (freshman, Kankakee), Cayle Webster (sophomore, Black Hawk), Zach Storkbakken (freshman, Madison)
Outfielders — AJ Henkle (freshman, McHenry County), Chance Resetich (freshman, Black Hawk), Noah Wenger (freshman, McHenry County)
Designated hitter — Ben Higgins (freshman, Sandburg)
Second Team
Pitchers — Luke Hansel (freshman, Madison), Kyle Stoddard (sophomore, Black Hawk), Jacob Wilde (freshman, Madison)
Catchers — Garrett Latoz (freshman, Kankakee)
Infielders — Ian Sanders (freshman, Kankakee), Rayth Peterson (freshman, Morton), Matt Makarwich (freshman, Sauk Valley), Drew Davis (sophomore, Black Hawk)
Outfielders — Joey Humphrey (freshman, Kankakee), Cole Wilcox (freshman, Lake County), Abe Collins (freshman, Sandburg)
Designated hitter — Jake Harmon (sophomore, Lake County)
***Story courtesy of Carl Sandburg College Athletics***
