Playing baseball was a no-brainer for Douglas junior shortstop Jose “Ivan” Higuera.
His father, Jose Higuera, was an infielder for Douglas’ state championship baseball team in 2001 and played collegiately at Nicholls State. The older Higuera is now a Border Patrol agent in Douglas. His jersey number (3) at Douglas is the number his son now wears.
Ivan Higuera’s cousin, Isaac Higuera, is a right-handed pitcher for Paradise Valley Community College.
Baseball is a way of life in the Higuera household.
“I’ve been playing it all my life,” Higuera said. “My dad has been a big role model, big influence in the aspect of baseball. I just grew up around it. All my cousins, all my friends, everybody played, so the people around me made me fall in love with it.”
Jose "Ivan" Higuera earns a single base hit for Douglas during a varsity baseball game against Sabino Canyon on March 21, 2025.
Higuera, a three-year starter at shortstop, has ascended into a leader and prominent player for the Bulldogs. As a sophomore last season, Higuera was 25th in the state in stolen bases (28). In nearly 70 career games on the varsity level, Higuera, who emulates his skillset after former Boston Red Sox star shortstop Dustin Pedroia, has a .351 batting average with 66 hits and 59 runs.
Higuera’s all-time favorite memory as a player happened last season, when former Bulldog Gustavo Gomez hit a game-winning RBI to score Higuera from second base and lift Douglas over Arizona College Prep 7-6 in extra innings for the first game of the Class 4A playoffs.
In the fall, Higuera is also the starting quarterback for Douglas’ football team.
During his sophomore season in 2023, Higuera was named the Class 4A Gila Region Offensive Player of the Year after passing for 1,031 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions while rushing for 1,052 yards and 11 touchdowns. Last season, Higuera was the Class 4A Gila Region Player of the Year with 2,094 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns.
“I just feel like when I play, you won’t know what I do if I have the ball in my hands,” Higuera said. “You’re not gonna know if I’m gonna throw it or if I run it. You don’t know if I’m gonna make a move or just throw the ball and score.”
Douglas baseball head coach Fabian Ochoa said, “It’s easy to say he’s probably one of the best athletes in Arizona, that’s just my opinion. He’s an all-around athlete.”
“He rushes for 1,000 yards, throws for 1,000 yards and comes out here and hits .400,” Ochoa said of Higuera. “He’s one of those guys that has the it-factor where everyone just wants to be around him.”
Douglas football head coach Hunter Long said Higuera is “probably the most competitive guy we have on the team. Regardless of the situation, we can be up by 50 or down by 50, he’s got that competitive edge and holds himself to a really high standard. He’s a high competitor in football.”
As a quarterback, “he stays calm, cool and collected,” Long said of Higuera.
“He never gets overexcited or worked up,” Long said. “He never gets down on himself and his teammates. He’s always trying to keep them up and the team feeds off his confidence. He’s one of those guys that everybody just likes to be around. He’s one of those where you love to have on your team but you hate to go against him.”
Douglas junior shortstop Jose “Ivan” Higuera hangs out in the dugout during a varsity baseball game against Sabino Canyon, 5000 N. Bowes Road, on March 21.
Higuera’s unflappable demeanor was the catalyst to Douglas’ five-game winning streak after the Bulldogs lost to rival Bisbee last season. Higuera threw a costly interception in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and Douglas fell to Bisbee 26-20.
“A lot of guys could’ve felt down on themselves and felt bad about losing the big rivalry game, but he was ready to work on Monday, fix his mistakes and he really turned around our season,” Long said. “Regardless of losing that big rivalry game, we were successful with him.”
Higuera attributed his on-field success as a baseball player and quarterback to confidence.
“Confidence is key,” he said after Douglas’ 9-2 win over Sabino on Wednesday. “I’ve been taught to play with confidence. Just trust in your abilities and you should be fine. You’re gonna succeed if you trust what you do. Preparation is all that matters. If you trust your preparation, then you’re gonna go out there and succeed. … The coaching staff, everybody around me has just taught me how to mature more in the game of baseball.
“You know, it’s a really hard game, so not putting that much pressure on yourself is going to help you. Baseball is already hard as it is.”
Away from the baseball diamond and football field, Higuera has a 3.5 GPA and is one of two Douglas baseball players to be on the DHS Student Athletic Leadership Council (SALC), which “speaks to his character and humility.”
Higuera and other Douglas student-athletes periodically travel to elementary schools in Cochise County and read books to students. He also helps out with youth football camps at Douglas.
“He’s like a superstar with little kids,” Ochoa said. “It’s a small town, so everyone knows who you are.”
Higuera also helps coach his younger sister’s youth softball team, the “Diamond Divas.”
“She looks up to me,” Higuera said. “We fight sometimes, but it’s all love. She looks up to me and I’m going to try and do everything to help her succeed, help her teammates succeed. I just love when I was being coached when I was little. I just loved learning from other people and trusting what they taught me, so I just want to go out there and do the same for them.”
Offering his time to help the Douglas community comes naturally for Higuera, because “you’re supposed to be there to give back to them.”
“They’re going to be behind me, so I’m going to be behind them no matter what, even after baseball,” Higuera said. “After whatever I do in life, I’m still always going to help and try to help the community any way I can.”
Jose “Ivan” Higuera, of Douglas, slides back to first base during a varsity baseball game against Sabino Canyon on March 21, 2025.
When Higuera is done playing baseball, he wants to pursue a career in sports medicine, “because I feel like it really interests me and how the the body works, why we get injured, what to do if we get injured and help fellow baseball players and football players,” he said.
Higuera still has another football and baseball season before he graduates from Douglas in 2026.
“Now that he’s (going to be) a senior, he’s got a grasp of our offense,” said Long. “It’s time to unleash him and let him run wild and show what he can do, because what he can do is special. He makes our lives easier.”
Higuera is “hopeful to get an opportunity somewhere and go play (baseball) somewhere” in college, he said. Higuera added, “I feel like I have the capability to do so and I love the game of baseball, so hopefully somebody gives me a shot.”
“He needs to go play college baseball,” said Ochoa. “He’s too good not to. He’s going places.”
Fast Five with Ivan Higuera
Who are your favorite baseball and football players?
“For baseball, I’ll say (Francisco) Lindor. I just love that he’s always got a smile on his face. For football, I’ll say Patrick Mahomes. He’s elusive and you don’t know what he’s going to do with the ball.”
What are your favorite baseball and football teams?
“This is going to be controversial, but the Boston Red Sox. I’ve always been a Red Sox fan. For football, I don’t hop on bandwagons so I’ll say I’m an Arizona Cardinals fan.”
What’s your favorite walk-up song?
“Right now, my song is ‘G6 Pt. 2’ (by Lil Double 0), but I’m going to change it up to ‘All of Me’ by 21 (Savage).”
What’s your go-to postgame meal?
“I’m a big Subway guy. Italian herbs and cheese (bread), footlong, double provolone (cheese), double turkey, salami, pepperoni, ham, all the meats in there with regular veggies and everything except bell peppers and olives — and you get a free cookie; raspberry cheesecake, that’s the one.”
What is your favorite class?
“Sports med.”
