Pair of Michigan State Players Selected in 2026 MLB Draft
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Michigan State baseball saw a pair of its alumni drafted on Sunday.
The Spartans saw right-handed pitcher Nolan Higgins and outfielder Nick Williams get selected during this year's MLB Draft. Higgins went in the fifth round at No. 164 overall to the Toronto Blue Jays, and Williams went in the 10th round at 286th overall to the Washington Nationals.
History of Draft Picks for MSU
The respective selections of Higgins and Williams marked the 40th and 41st draft picks for head coach Jake Boss Jr. during his time as MSU's head coach. This comes shortly after Joseph Dzierwa's appearance in the 2026 Futures Game. Dzierwa went in the second round last year and has excelled early in his pro career — he's got a 2.30 ERA across 86.0 innings between his time in High-A and AA ball.
Higgins is the fourth Spartan to be drafted by the Blue Jays in their history. It's the second-highest pick Toronto has used on a Michigan State player, behind when it took pitcher Tim Crabtree in the second round of the 1992 MLB Draft.
Williams is the third MSU player to be selected by the Nationals/Montreal Expos organization. This is also the second-highest pick Washington has used on a Spartan, behind when it picked pitcher Alex Troop in 2017 during the ninth round.
The Michigan State baseball team went just 24-32 overall this season, but generating a pair of draft picks is still something to point to, especially with both Higgins and Williams going in the first half of the 20-round event.
Higgins' Career at MSU
Higgins played several roles across his four seasons with the MSU program. He appeared in 77 total games across his collegiate career, with 24 of them as a starter.
The best Higgins looked was this past season, when he became the team's closer. His 27 appearances in 2026, all in relief, were the most on the team, and his four saves matched the rest of the pitching staff combined. Higgins' ERA of 5.20 isn't great by major-league standards, but that's generally considered solid for a college bullpen pitcher. It was the best Michigan State had among its go-to players out of the bullpen.
What got Higgins' stock so high is his pitch velocity. His fastball sits around 93-96 mph. If that number ticks up a bit more as Higgins continues to develop, there is a real shot that Higgins can be a major league bullpen arm. Higgins also halved his walks per nine innings and more than doubled his strikeouts per nine innings between his junior and senior seasons, ultimately finishing out his senior year with the program with 62 strikeouts to just 13 walks.
It can be an uphill battle for fifth-round picks, but plenty of draft picks have succeeded at the highest level while facing steeper odds. Brandon Hughes is the last Michigan State player to debut in the majors, and he got there as a 16th-round draft selection.
Williams' Career at MSU
Williams spent a total of three seasons with the Spartans. He started off taking the junior college route, attending Wabash Valley College. He spent two years there, becoming a First Team NJCAA Division I All-American, before making the move to Division I and Michigan State.
Williams wound up being a solid part of MSU's batting lineup each of his three years in East Lansing. His batting average was .309 in 2024, .266 in 2025, and then .333 in 2026. Williams' final year was also his best year. His OPS jumped 131 points from the previous season to .974, which was second on the team to Parker Picot (1.026).
One of the impressive parts of Williams' game is how difficult he was to strike out. He struck out in fewer than 10% of his plate appearances at MSU (the MLB average is about 23%) and walked more often than he K'd in each of his three seasons with the program. In total, he struck out just 64 times to 94 walks.
Williams also finished his college career on a real hot streak, which might've helped him get onto some MLB radars. He got a hit in his final 16 college games, sporting a batting average of .508 over that time. Williams also at least got on base safely across his final 22 games. His 20 multi-hit games this season were also the most on the team. That type of reliable hitting will be tough for Michigan State to replace as it tries to end its ongoing NCAA Tournament drought.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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