LOUISVILLE, Ky. — About an hour after the 2022 Major League Baseball draft ended, Bellarmine University senior outfielder Matt Higgins was trying to cheer himself up with a steak burrito at "I Love Tacos" in Louisville after not being selected.

Dining with girlfriend and former Knights soccer standout Camryn Pictor, the mood was sorrowful, and the meal had the feel of a "contemplate life situation."

But then Higgins' phone rang. He quickly excused himself. Suffice it to say, the conversation completely changed his demeanor.

"I walked back in with a big smile on my face," Higgins said. "It turned into a celebratory dinner."

A representative of the San Francisco Giants had been on the other end of the line offering the All-American and ASUN Player of the Year the chance to sign with the club as a free agent.

"I felt like if I didn't get drafted, I still had a really good shot at getting signed," Higgins said. "I was still really nervous, but I had a good feeling. It was kind of a rollercoaster, but it ended up on top."

Higgins' signing with the Giants represented the second straight season in which the Knights had an undrafted free agent ink with an MLB club. Righthanded pitcher Deylen Miley signed with the Houston Astros organization after the 2021 draft.

Higgins deepens Bellarmine's connection to the Giants. Chris Dominguez, who after the 2022 season was promoted from assistant to head coach at Bellarmine, was selected by San Francisco in the third round of the 2009 MLB draft after an All-America career at Louisville and advanced through the organization to the big club.

"Higgy deserves this opportunity as he's worked as hard as anyone during his career and this season," Dominguez said. "He was revered by his teammates and was one of the most respected players in our league. I know a lot of coaches say this, but he's going to have a long tenure in this game."

Higgins' 2022 campaign at Bellarmine was a landmark season. The Louisville native smashed a school-record 22 homers while becoming the program's all-time home run king with 45 and career RBI leader with 185. Higgins finished third all-time in both hits (261) and runs scored (174) and was fourth in doubles (57).

In addition to the ASUN-leading 22 homers, Higgins finished the 2022 regular season topping the conference in slugging percentage (.770) while tying for second in RBI (61), tying for third in doubles (20) and runs scored (61), tying for fifth in hits (78) and ranking sixth in on-base percentage (.469) and seventh in batting average (.366).

The robust production led to Higgins being recognized as the ASUN Player of the Year and a second-team All-American by both Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the ABCA/Rawlings. The product of Trinity (Ky.) High School became the first Bellarmine athlete from any sport that made the transition from Division II to Division I in the 2020-21 academic year to earn a conference Player of the Year award and was also the first from those set of Knights teams to garner an All-America acknowledgement.

"I felt like there was no point where I could have done more work ethic-wise," Higgins said of his historic 2022 campaign. "I can't find a moment where I felt like I let up. It was as focused as I've ever been mentally. I never let the moment get too big for me. I just went out and had fun."

Higgins was a D2 All-American as well, reaping those honors in 2019. He claimed three All-Conference laurels over his career, including first-team All-ASUN accolades this past season, along with two All-Region notices, including first-team plaudits in 2022. In the classroom, he was a two-time ASUN Honor Roll recipient.

"I'm extremely grateful for my time at Bellarmine," Higgins said. "Bellarmine bet on me in high school when no one else would. My favorite part about Bellarmine was the sense of family we had."

Higgins said the Giants were the first big-league club to express interest in him. He worked out for them, along with a few other organizations after that. Higgins eventually parlayed San Francisco's initial intrigue into an offer, one in which he enthusiastically accepted.

"It's just a dream come true," Higgins said. "All I wanted was the opportunity, and now I have it."

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights) and Facebook (BUKnights).