PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Since they’ve been handing out conference awards, never has a PAC baseball player won both the Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year awards. That first accomplished by Penn-Trafford graduate and Washington and Jefferson star Tyler Horvat this week.
“It’s really cool,” Horvat told 93.7 The Fan. “It’s a really humbling achievement especially with the quality of players that are in the conference and the competition we face day-in and day-out.”
There were two other things he quickly pointed out. It’s special because his team overcame adversity to win the Presidents Athletic Conference. He also didn’t do it by himself and quickly credited his teammates for his success.
“They do everything for me whether that’s pushing me at practice to get better or just being there for a pat on the back after a bad at bat,” Horvat said. “I give a lot of credit to my teammates and my coaches. It takes a complete team effort. I can’t say it’s just me individually, I give all the credit to those guys.”
They are more than just teammates to him, life-long friends, guys who will attend his wedding. What he explains is it’s not just the friendships or the work in practice, but knowing that if he doesn’t do his job, someone will pick him up. Horvat said that belief allows him to play loose and just go be the best he can be.
That was really good in 2023. The numbers justify the awards.
· Offense-.392 (7th in PAC)/.487 on-base percentage (5th in PAC), led the conference with 65 hits and 27 stolen bases, second in the PAC in runs and triples, third in walks and seventh in OPS.
· Pitching-11-2, leading the league in wins, innings pitched (90.1) and four complete games. Horvat was second in the league with 82 strikeouts and third with a 3.28 ERA.
· In conference play, the senior hit .438 with 25 runs scored and was 7-0 as opponents hit .203 against him.
He brings an aggressive mindset as you can tell from the stolen bases, but also on the mound. Horvat said he’s in attack mode all the time. He will pound the strike zone and if you beat him, you beat him throwing his best stuff.
Few get the opportunity to do what Horvat does. When deciding where he would attend college, he wanted a place that would allow him to both pitch and play the field. There were several that wouldn’t, but PAC Coach of the Year Jeff Mountain at W&J did, and was rewarded.
There were times Horvat had to have a modified practice schedule to limit the wear and tear. Mountain was willing to do that and Horvat said he is forever grateful. He thinks he really does help to see someone doing it at the highest level like Shohei Otani.
“Him being able to break through has given a lot of guys confidence at yeah, this can be done,” said Horvat, who like Ohtani pitches right-handed and bats left-handed. “If can be done at the highest level, it can be done at the high school level, at the college level, the minor league level. I have to give him a lot of credit for what he does.”
Horvat will use his last season to prove he can play Division One. He will pursue an MBA at Bryant University as he’s seen three of his Presidents teammates transfer recently to Radford, St. Louis and Ohio State. The dream is still to be called on MLB Draft Day, but he also will use this opportunity to potentially prepare for a career after baseball.
No doubt he’s gotten the most out of his opportunity and he couldn’t have done it without his parents. Horvat said they instilled a love for the game and an understanding of the work ethic needed to succeed. He also appreciated everything his grandfather has done to support him along the way.
The awards have his name on it, but Tyler Horvat says there are many names that led to his success.
31-12 W&J plays its first game in the NCAA Regionals game Friday at 1:30p at Misericordia.