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12/27/2023 12:47 PMIn a game based on percentages and averages and where so many outcomes are out of control, Jordan Higgins lies at the center of it all on the mound. As a result, a cool and composed demeanor has served him quite well as one of the more reliable and serviceable arms for North Haven baseball.
The Nighthawks senior grew up playing baseball at the local ball fields, and stuck with the game ever since. After dazzling on the hill for North Haven last spring to help the squad bounce back from an 0-4 start to make states, he repeated his efforts last summer for Post 79 Senior American Legion team. They additionally reached the postseason after the same auspicious 0-4 opening to the campaign.
“I was just drawn to the game. I met most of my friends through baseball, and built so many relationships from it,” says Jordan. “I have just been getting in the weight room and getting stronger. I also like to throw the ball around with friends, but I also make sure to get in my solo time to work on baseball. I have that mindset that I can always be better.”
Having a sound rapport with his battery mate boasts a successful pitcher quite often, from Jordan’s perspective. Yet while that element can also be a true challenge of the craft, it is also the facet that facilitates the most rewards.
“I like developing a relationship with my catchers; you have to think alike and think strategically in order to get outs,” Jordan says. “It is also one of the tougher parts of being a pitcher, because you and the catcher can have disagreements. You will always have things that happen out there that go against you that are out of your control, and you just have to stay calm.”
It takes much time and various experiences to cultivate a sound mind quite often, and such was the case for Jordan. He recalls he would often let his emotions get in his own way, before channeling himself into a more uplifting thought process.
“When I was younger, I had attitude problems and would get visibly frustrated out there,” says Jordan. “My mom helped emphasize how being composed is so important. Physically, I grew taller as I got older and got bigger through the weight room, which helped me.”
That mind frame of persistence would not only be tested with Jordan, but also with a tandem of his teams on the diamond for 2023. Both the Nighthawks and Post 76 dropped their first foursome of contests for the campaign. Jordan explains that the boys realized that they needed to just take it piecemeal, play within themselves, and to stop trying to reinvent the wheel.
“We had such a resilient group for both teams,” says Jordan. “I think we just put the thought in our head that we were going to win the state title. But then we realized that we had to just take it one game at a time, and to just play the best we could each day.”
Jordan looks to make the grade in his final year at North Haven in order to make the next trek towards young entrepreneurship. Still, he remains grounded and focused on his final forays on the hill, and is ready to achieve the highest goals for both himself as a competitor, and for his entire North Haven brethren.
“I want to go to college to major in business administration, but I have to make sure my academics always come first, and I take the same preparation approach with school that I do with baseball,” Jordan says. “We want to win states as a team this coming spring. I want to make the All-SCC Team; it has always been a dream of mine. But I just want to have fun and enjoy my last year.”
North Haven Nighthawks skipper Joe Romanelli is of course impressed by Jordan’s ever steady demeanor on the mound no matter the scenario, but he is equally dazzled by his ability to pitch for power and locate pitches just where he aims.
“Jordan is a very skilled pitcher who can throw all his pitches for strikes when he wants, but what separates him from others is how he competes, and his composure on the mound,” says Romanelli. “You can’t tell whether we are up big, down big, or in a one-run game, because he always keeps the same demeanor no matter what. This is what makes him a great leader, as well. The team sees how he competes and does everything the right way on and off the field, and they follow suit. I am very excited to see Jordan pitch this season to show what he can do.”
For the variable elements of life, Jordan has learned that you just have to let them play out their own way, while adapting and adjusting to them in order to move forward. He adds that one thing that a person can command is the quality of their abilities and actions, while doing it in a state of serenity.
“Baseball has taught me that you cannot control everything and that you cannot get so upset by those things,” says Jordan. “You just have to stay composed and worry about what you can control, and what you can do to improve.”