Mac Horvath 'super grateful' for time at North Carolina
North Carolina’s season ended on Sunday with a 6-5 loss to Iowa in 13 innings in the Terre Haute Regional of the NCAA Tournament. That defeat may also have ended the collegiate career of Tar Heel IF Mac Horvath.
An emotional Horvath shared his thoughts on what could possibly be the end of his time at UNC. If nothing else, he expressed gratitude and thankfulness for the program and the people within it who have backed him up from the very beginning.
“(I’m) just super grateful just to be able to play here. And (for Scott Forbes) sitting next to me for just always believing in me, especially that freshman year. (I was) just struggling but he’s always had my back, just always believed in me,” Horvath said. “(I’m) just incredibly thankful.”
The Hawkeyes beat North Carolina twice in the span of three days to eliminate them from the postseason. The Tar Heels managed to defeat Wright State in the first game of the elimination bracket but, in the end, couldn’t get past Iowa to get a shot at Indiana State for a spot in the Super Regionals.
After struggling in the opener, Horvath did all he could in UNC’s final two games of the season to try and get them over the hump. In the two games, he recorded four hits and RBI apiece. That included a home run in the ninth inning to extend Sunday’s game to extra innings.
For his career, Horvath has 166 hits, 141, RBI, and 47 home runs in three years. He may still have a chance to return to Chapel Hill. If not, though, he can leave knowing that his statistics and play improved in each season that he was in college.
Forbes raves over Horvath during regional game vs. Iowa
North Carolina star Mac Horvath had been in a bit of a slump over the last two weeks of May. He has notched only two hits in 19 at-bats. Still, the junior All-ACC performer is looking like he is turning himself around at the Terre Haute Regional.
He has only one hit but the hit was a game-changing three-run home run Saturday against Wright State that turned a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 lead in the seventh inning.
Tar Heels manager Scott Forbes was asked about Horvath during his interview with the broadcasters on the ACC Network during Sunday’s elimination game versus Iowa.
“You don’t need to say much with Mac,” Forbes said. “That’s what makes him so good. He’s gonna be level-headed. He works his tail off. Every hitter has struggles and he’s grown through that. He’s had his fair share like all have and that’s why he is who he is.”