UNC infielder Mac Horvath looks to step up in sophomore season
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (BVM) – Previously the No. 1-ranked shortstop in Minnesota for the Class of 2020, Mac Horvath saw the 2020 MLB draft come and go after his senior prep season was significantly shortened due to the Covid pandemic. Fast-forward to 2022 and the 20-year-old infielder is one year away from draft eligibility, yet solely focused on his sophomore season at North Carolina.
Born and raised in Minnesota, Horvath has excelled in baseball since the age of 5. As a freshman at Century High School, Horvath owned a 5-1 record and posted a 1.64 ERA through 42.2 innings pitched with 41 strikeouts. At the plate, he had a .378 batting average and connected for 17 runs, 18 RBI, seven doubles and three home runs. This standout season earned him the Rochester Post Bulletin Player of the Year award and a spot on the MaxPreps Underclass All-American Team for sophomores.
As a junior, Horvath played travel ball for the Canes National team and led his squad to the Perfect Game Fall World Series Championship. With this feat, Horvath sat as the No. 2 player in Minnesota and the No. 11 best shortstop in the country according to Perfect Game. He was touted as one of the top baseball players in the nation and quickly earned an opportunity to up his play.
“Towards the end of my junior year, my advisor reached out and asked if I was open to the idea of going down to IMG [Academy] for my senior year to play baseball,” Horvath said. “At the time, it sounded cool and I said I was in. A few weeks later, he reached back out and let me know that the opportunity was there if I wanted to take it. I talked to my parents and we never even went down there – I just called and said I’d come down for my senior year.”
Unfortunately for Horvath, his first year at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida was not what he had hoped after Covid cut his season to just a few weeks. Previously expecting to shine at his new school and create promise for the 2020 MLB draft, Horvath played just 10 games. And though his draft dreams came to a halt, his future playing collegiate ball remained bright.
“I definitely had expectations for the 2020 draft,” Horvath said. “But then obviously Covid happened, so I didn’t really get to play my full season. Who knows what would have happened or what my future could have looked like if I saw a regular season at IMG. But we will never know, and after the first round passed, I was set on playing college ball at Carolina.”
Horvath was a highly-recruited prospect and received early offers from Minnesota and Nebraska. His recruitment ramped up after his trip to the Junior Game National Showcase in Florida as a rising sophomore. Multiple college scouts reached out to Horvath after the first day of the showcase, which led to visits at Florida and Miami that week. But at the end of the day, his offer from UNC was the only one that felt right.
“After the first day of the showcase in Florida, there were a bunch of colleges that wanted to talk to me, which was kind of a surprise,” Horvath said. “But really, UNC was my top choice. The first time I visited Carolina, I loved it. UNC has such a beautiful stadium, a beautiful campus and really good academics. My dad has always stressed the importance of getting a good education and made me promise to get my degree, so good academics was a big deal for me. I felt like Carolina was the right fit.”
Horvath said he felt blessed to have the opportunity to go to UNC and still have the option to revisit the draft a few years down the road. With his next year of eligibility in 2023, he knew he would benefit from time towards his promised degree and a few more years to build on his baseball skills and maturity. And playing as a Tar Heel was the cherry on top.
“My time as a Tar Heel has been incredible,” Horvath said. “Even though last season was difficult, I think we are going to be really good this year. I think we are going to surprise people. Our first game this season was packed, so it was a different energy compared to the empty stands last year. It was so much more fun. I think overall we are going to be a lot better – our pitching staff has really improved and have our veterans back. There is a lot of experience and leadership from a few guys so I am ready to see where it takes us.”
As far as his expectations for himself this year, Horvath is setting the bar high for his success and his enjoyment, while he builds off of his lessons learned from his freshman season.
“I am just focused on going out and having a good year with my team,” Horvath said. “I want to win as many games as possible and try to be in the moment with everyone. Our coaches always warn us that if we are only focused on the draft, we will miss out on having fun during the season with our teammates. I don’t want to take everything too seriously at this point. At the end of the day, baseball is just a game and I think it’s important to remember that.”
As the pandemic cut his senior prep season short and a batting slump limited his freshman season at UNC, Horvath will take advantage of his time left in Chapel Hill to once again uncover his talents on the diamond. And whether a professional career is on the horizon or a career in exercise science is his future, Horvath’s life will forever be surrounded by his favorite sport.
“My slump at the beginning of last season was really tough on me,” Horvath said. “But I learned a lot from that experience and it helped me become mentally strong. It’s easy to give up when you’re not doing well, but that’s baseball. You’re going to struggle. I’ve learned to keep working at it and it’ll click at some point. And as for my future, I absolutely want to play at the next level. But if that doesn’t happen, I will use my degree to stay close to the game. I am a super competitive guy that just loves to be around sports. I know that will be my future.”
