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All American Game  | Story  | 8/11/2021

Classic Dream Comes True For SoCal's Horn

Blake Dowson     
Photo: David Horn (Perfect Game)
Mission Viejo, Calif. prep David Horn has put himself in a position as a top-100 player in the 2022 class to jump into the whirlwind that is late summer for an elite prospect.
 
He was at the Perfect Game National Showcase in Florida in mid-July, the USA Prospect Development Pipeline in North Carolina at the end of July, and is currently at the Area Code Games in San Diego. Luckily for Horn, San Diego is just about an hour away from his home.
 
It won’t take him all that long to travel down there when he plays in the Perfect Game All-American Classic later this month.
 
Horn, who plays at JSerra and is the No. 3 right-handed pitcher in California, has put all that travel into perspective.
 
“It’s definitely exciting, maybe a little tiring,” he said. “But when you’re out playing baseball and having a good time getting to know your teammates and they become friends, it’s not as tiring as you would think. Everyone’s families make big sacrifices to get us out there. We’re out there playing baseball and having a good time. It’s definitely worth it.”
 
Looking at Horn’s Perfect Game profile and in speaking with him, he just screams ‘baseball player.’ He is ranked as a right-handed pitcher, although he is one of the most talented two-way players in the country.
 
He can pitch if his team needs him, he can drive in runs at the plate. He can play near home in California, he can fly over to Florida or North Carolina. As long as there’s grass and dirt and someone to compete against, Horn wants to be there.
 
He pitched and hit at PG National, impressing in both, and would like to continue to do both moving forward. Committed to Vanderbilt, he doesn’t know whether that will be possible or not.
 
It really doesn’t matter to him what his role will be in Nashville, he said. Just as long as he can make an impact in winning baseball games.
 
“I want to help the team win any way I can,” Horn said of his role at Vanderbilt. “If that ends up being at the plate and on the mound, I would love to do that, because I want to help the team win in as many ways as possible. But there are other guys being brought in specifically to hit and to pitch, so if they don’t need me to hit along with pitch, I’m okay with that because I want to do whatever it takes to win. If that means developing my skills in one area more than the other, then I’ll go ahead and do that.”
 
According to Horn, pitching has always come more naturally to him, which meant he dedicated more time to his work with the stick. He had always been the guy who could jump onto the mound and be relied upon to throw a lot of strikes.
 
A growth spurt came with added strength, which led to added velocity to his fastball and more natural movement on his repertoire. He’s now dedicating more time to fine-tuning his pitch mix, turning himself truly into a pitcher, not just a thrower.
 
He certainly hasn’t forgotten about the stick, though. He’s still spending plenty of time in the box. Being an elite two-way prospect is a big undertaking, but it’s worth it for Horn. What a coach might have to convince one player, ‘Hey, I’m going to need you to stay after practice to get a bullpen in since you took BP during practice,’ or vice versa, just sounds like more baseball to Horn. Count him in.
 
“Instead of dedicating all your time to pitching or hitting, you find yourself trying to schedule out bullpens and batting practice to get both in,” he said. “I just love playing baseball. I love pitching, I love hitting.”
 
Horn has been named to the all-tournament team in his last four Perfect Game events playing for the San Diego Show, both as a hitter and as a pitcher.
 
Most recently, Horn hit .471 with a pair of home runs and 11 RBI over seven games at the 17u WWBA National Championship in early July. Before that, he strung together three-straight all-tournament team performances on the mound, including last fall’s WWBA World Championship, where he threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings across two outings.
 
It’s all built up to this point, with Horn now getting the opportunity to represent San Diego in the All-American Classic.
 
He’s grown up going to the game at Petco Park, and being selected to play in the game is something he has had his mind on for a long time. Getting that call made it a reality.
 
“It was a really exciting moment for me and my family,” Horn said. “It’s always been a dream of mine since I was 12 years old. I’ve always played travel ball locally for the San Diego Show, so every year growing up, we would go to the Classic games at Petco Park. The first time I went, I watched Kumar Rocker pitch in the game. It’s been a dream of mine since. So to get that call, and to be a part of that event, it’s pretty surreal.”
 
Horn seems to have taken a lot from Rocker. There’s the Vanderbilt commitment, obviously. His mentality on the baseball field seems to be the same, too.
 
Rocker has grown famous for his intensity on the mound, something Horn has prided himself on as well. He has cultivated that mentality playing with and against some of the best players in the country, both at Perfect Game events and with his JSerra teammates.
 
He’s been out to prove himself ever since that first All-American Classic experience.
 
“When I’m out there, I look at the guy I’m facing, and it’s me versus him,” Horn said. “I’m really aggressive. I like to attack. Whether that’s hitting a 95 mph fastball, or if I have one of the best hitters in the country at the plate, I’m going to be aggressive and attack them with my best stuff. I feel like I don’t have any fear of playing on a big stage with other great competitors.”
 
Sounds like the hometown kid is ready for his All-American Classic moment.
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