It was early in the morning the day of Game 1 of the NCAA Super Regionals last June, and UNC third baseman Mac Horvath knew something was wrong.
“I woke up at like 5 [a.m.], and the game wasn’t until 1 or so,” Horvath told Chapelboro. “I had to go to the bathroom, and I just couldn’t. So I was like, ‘I’m just gonna get up and get ready for the game right now.’ So I got up, took my time getting ready. I showed up to the field and my stomach was still hurting, so I went to [athletic trainer] Terri Jo [Rucinski] and got a little medicine to try to make it feel better.”
Just the opposite happened. Horvath’s condition got worse as the game, a 4-1 loss to Arkansas, progressed. Still, the sophomore who’d started every game for the Tar Heels that season played through it.
But when he had problems eating later that night, he went to the emergency room. Doctors there gave him the bad news: appendicitis, which would require immediate surgery and keep him out of UNC’s do-or-die Game 2 the next day.
“My heart just sank for Mac,” Carolina head coach Scott Forbes told Chapelboro. “And then for our team, because he’s our guy. Well-respected, one of the hardest workers on our team. That’s why you play: to play in those types of games.”
The Tar Heels lost Game 2 of the supers as well, 4-3 on a walk-off single. Forbes and company had been in scramble mode all morning to accommodate the loss of their stalwart third baseman – a loss which proved a little too much to overcome.
Horvath was back at home by the time the game started, cheering on his teammates even when it was physically painful to do so. He told Chapelboro watching the biggest game of the season from home was something he never wants to do again.
“It’s one thing not being in the lineup,” he said. “But not even being in the dugout and seeing it on your TV screen, knowing it’s going on two miles from my house, it was definitely a very weird experience.”
Per doctor’s orders, Horvath had to wait two weeks before resuming baseball activities like hitting. It was about a month after the Arkansas series that he made the trek up to New England to join teammates Tomas Frick and Will Sandy to compete in the Cape Cod League, one of the premier summer leagues for collegiate baseball players.
Horvath’s road to recovery continued as he returned to Chapel Hill in the fall and began practicing with the Diamond Heels.
“It started coming back in the fall of this year,” he said. “Just kind of working to build a good routine. [Assistant] coach [Jesse] Wierzbicki figuring out what works for me and having that set routine over winter break… having a set plan every single day of what I’m gonna do, and staying consistent with that.”
The offseason work paid off, as Horvath leads Carolina this season with 14 home runs and 43 runs scored. His 1.076 OPS ranks second on the team. He’s well on-pace to exceed his numbers from last season in each of those categories.
UNC’s Mac Horvath (left) returns to the dugout against Charlotte on Tuesday, April 18. Horvath hit a two-run home run in the 5-3 Carolina win. (Image via UNC Baseball on Twitter)
The improvement at the plate has coincided with a move on the diamond: Horvath has played in the outfield this season to make room for Johnny Castagnozzi at the hot corner. It was Castagnozzi who filled in for Horvath at third in the final Arkansas game.
And still, Horvath is raking. Forbes credited the junior’s gaudy stat line to his inner drive.
“I think it’s just his mentality. ‘I’m good, I believe in myself,’” Forbes said. “That’s the biggest thing. Being able to deal with failure, which he can do… He’s always had a knack for a big hit and always driven in runs, even when he was struggling. He’s just an overall better player, top-to-bottom, than he was from the day he walked in here, because he works so hard.”
That hard work is all going toward Carolina’s ultimate goal: a first trip to the College World Series in five years. The Diamond Heels fell two games short of Omaha last season, but that was with Horvath under the knife. Now the fully healthy star, sans appendix, thinks this year’s team still hasn’t fully peaked.
When it does?
“I think we’re gonna be really good,” he said.
Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter
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