Hightower will probably be the first to admit his last year has been a whirlwind of baseball and championship runs.  In the summer of 2006, Hightower was playing in Morganton, N.C. for the Aggies in the Southern Collegiate Baseball League.  The Aggies had a great summer season and went on to win the SCBL League Championship, with Kody playing a pivotal role in their success.

 

Hightower then transferred to SWU for the 2006-2007 school year and was key in another title run for a team.  This time it was Southern Wesleyan as the shortstop played a key role in helping the Warriors to their first ever National Championship.  For his efforts this past spring, Kody was named to the NCCAA All-American squad, was Co-MVP of the NCCAA Tournament and was named to the SSAC All-Conference team.

 

Fast forward to June of this year.  The talented baseball player from a small town in North Carolina gets transplanted up north in Holyoke, Mass.  The New England Collegiate Baseball League(NECBL) is one of the most well known collegiate summer leagues in the country and Hightower was selected to play for the Holyoke Giants.  The Giants had a good season, advancing to the Divisional Playoffs and losing to the eventual NECBL League Champion.

 

Honors were bestowed on Hightower this summer as he was named NECBL Player of the Week in early July.  He also finished the summer season hitting .322 in 40 games, second on his team.  Facing many Division I pitchers from across the country while hitting with a wood bat can be a challenge for some, however, Hightower made the most of his opportunity and collected 48 hits with three homeruns and 22 runs batted in.  His batting average was good enough to place him in the top 15 of the entire league for the summer.  He also scored 32 runs, which placed him third overall in the league in this category.