“Logically, this was the next step,” Horton said. “Finish my degree and join the grown-up world.”
Academically, Horton is a junior. At 28 years old, Horton is younger than his graying hair would suggest, but still older than the majority of his undergraduate peers. He was married in October 2013 and his wife lives in New York working for SoulCycle, a fitness company.
Aside from that, not much has changed. He still gets up early and goes to class, then heads to Boshamer Stadium around lunchtime for baseball practice. His second university experience parallels his first, only now he’s a coach instead of a player.
Coach Mike Fox hired Horton as an undergraduate coach early in the semester along with former catcher Mark Fleury, giving him different responsibilities, but a similar time commitment to his first stint on campus. Horton has had an extra seven years to learn the lessons he didn’t learn from Fox the first time.
“Coach Fox has been telling me to eat breakfast since 2004, and I’m just now doing that,” Horton said. “I’ve learned in the last seven years … I need to eat breakfast, and I need to get plenty of sleep. If I do those two things, usually my day turns out pretty good. If I don’t do those, it usually kind of tapers off a little bit.”
Horton still hasn’t decided on a major. His age hasn’t put him ahead of other students in that regard. He is thinking about pursuing coaching and is trying his hand at it this year.
“I spent a long time trying to make myself better as a baseball player,” Horton said. “I’m hoping that will translate into helping some other guys get better.”
But Horton remains hesitant to commit to coaching as a career. He says he could see himself as a personal trainer, a sailboat captain or in whatever position his minor league experience qualifies him for.
As of now, he says most of his focus is on his schoolwork — he’s even missed a game because of class. He admits that focusing has been a problem, especially during his first stint at UNC. It played a role in why he chose baseball instead of other sports.
“I was very loose and laid back,” he said. “(With a) three-hour game, the focus kind of comes and goes, I’m not required to be as locked in as a quarterback or a point guard.”
That doesn’t mean Horton looks for the easy path, though. He relishes the challenge of hitting a baseball — the strength and reaction time needed makes it one of the most difficult feats in any sport. He’s determined to make the most of his second college experience, and his enthusiasm is apparent.
Fox said he added Horton to the staff for his infectious energy and positive attitude. As a player, he said Horton was a joy to coach because of his upbeat personality. It’s his defining feature. Horton radiates cheerfulness everywhere he goes. Whether it’s in the dugout or in gym class, his humor lightens the mood with teammates and classmates alike.
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“(It’s) good to be back, and I’m enjoying it,” Horton said. “I guess that just seeps out.”
Like many, Horton had a dream of playing baseball at the highest level. Like many, he didn’t make it. And now, like many, he doesn’t know what his next step will be.
His career could be captured in his final two at-bats.The first was a home run. The last was a strikeout.
“I think that’s a good metaphor for life,” Horton said. “I appreciate how that can be retrofit to speak about life in general.
“I left the game with a smile on my face.”
He’s still smiling.
sports@dailytarheel.com
