OMAHA, Neb. — Seventeen months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, Cade Horton takes the mound Sunday with Oklahoma’s season on the line.
Horton dominated Notre Dame in the second round of the College World Series on June 19, finishing with a career-high 11 strikeouts, escalating his draft stock and doing what those who knew him prior to his injury know he is capable of.
In his core, Horton is a hard worker and a competitor. He’ll do anything to work his way back to where he was, and he wants to be the best player he can be. Another thing that makes Horton tick is his faith, indicated by his tattoo of Jesus’ face on his forearm and crosses inked on his wrist.
The usual timeline to return from Tommy John surgery is about a year, and Horton was right on schedule as he returned to pitching in live games on March 29.
Horton will need to emulate his career-best performance Sunday after Ole Miss put up 10 runs on OU in Game 1 and as the fate of the Sooners’ season rests on his repaired arm in a contest in which he has a personal connection involved.
Redshirt freshman infielder and pitcher Cade Horton during the baseball game against Pacific on April 14.
The game of baseball is unforgiving, has ebbs and flows, droughts, slumps and injuries. However, one thing is for sure — Horton has arrived.
Having recovered from his surgery, the 2019-20 Gatorade Oklahoma Player of the Year is finally getting a chance to showcase his talents when the lights are brightest.
It didn’t take long for him to establish his presence against the Fighting Irish in the Sooners’ 6-2 victory.
He began his outing with five strikeouts and just one hit in three scoreless innings and worked between a pitch combo that resembled a veteran major leaguer, much less a redshirt freshman. His stuff included a 97 mph heater and wicked slider at 88 mph.
“He’s one of the best freshman pitchers I’ve ever been around,” OU coach Skip Johnson said.
His 11 punch outs were the most by an Oklahoma pitcher in a College World Series game since Mark Redman had 11 against Arizona State in 1994.
Horton hadn’t even discovered the magic of his slider until five days before the Big 12 Championship Game against Texas. He worked closely alongside redshirt junior right-hander Ben Abram to develop it and acquire the confidence needed to throw it in a game.
It is safe to say the slider has worked for him as he holds a 2.72 ERA and 36 strikeouts since debuting the pitch on May 29 against the Longhorns.
After starting a game of his own in High-A for the Boston Red Sox affiliate Greenville Drive, former Sooner Wyatt Olds, an offseason duck hunting partner of Horton’s, was able to catch the entirety of the outing. He was impressed with what he saw — observing the slider as a factor in his growth.
“I watched it, it was a lot of fun,” Olds said. “He’s one of the best out there for sure and it’s not surprising. He’s got unbelievable stuff and I was really happy for him.”
Cody Merrell, Horton’s coach at Norman High School, also had a proud moment. As soon as he heard the news Horton was starting, he made the seven-hour trek to Omaha to catch the outing live from the stands at Charles Schwab Field.
Merrell said he felt like his wife, a diehard OU fan, as he watched Horton shine on the field.
“It was an intense game,” Merrell said. “It was a really cool experience as a fan and I was just happy about the performance he was able to put on … for him to set them down, it was a really cool atmosphere.”
Redshirt freshman infielder Cade Horton during the game against Baylor on March 27.
On March 13, 2020, Merrell received a call.
The Tigers were on their spring break trip in Dallas competing in the Tovar/Shepherd Invitational tournament when they were told they had to travel back to Norman because their season was being canceled.
The team, which had 10 seniors and was expected to have a big year, played just five regular season games. Horton was unable to finish his high school career the way he wanted to, which meant fewer games for MLB scouts to see him play.
Merrell said teams were blowing up his phone about Horton, the pitcher and hitter, before the season began, with some even traveling to watch the Tigers scrimmage. Scouts didn't get to see the young phenom enough and with the draft cut from its usual 40 rounds to just five due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Horton’s best option was to stay home and go to college.
When he arrived at OU in the fall and began to work out with the team and coaching staff, Johnson said he was on another level.
“His freshman fall was incredible,” Johnson said. “I can remember things that he did in that fall like it was yesterday.”
Olds was also on staff that fall and remembers Horton coming in and shining right away.
“As a freshman coming in, he was just an unbelievable athlete all around,” Olds said. “And he was very mature for his age coming in. He was looking like he was going to be one of our guys for sure at the plate and on the mound. It was fun to watch him and I think we both learned a lot from each other.”
Redshirt freshman infielder Cade Horton during the game against Baylor on March 27.
Tales of Horton’s legendary fall camp came to a halt when D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers reported he would miss the 2020 season with an injury.
INJURY NEWS: Just brutal news out of Norman, as projected @Big12Conference Freshman of the Year, RHP/INF Cade Horton, will miss the 2021 season with @OU_Baseball because of a UCL injury that will require Tommy John surgery. Such a tough blow for the #Sooners. #Big12
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) February 2, 2021
Olds remembers the moment the injury occurred — the pair was throwing a light bullpen and something didn’t feel right with Horton’s arm. He remembers throughout the season he and Johnson, and former Sooners Tyler Hardman and Justin Mitchell, would talk to him about keeping his focus on moving forward.
“He just stayed with the process,” Olds said. “He knows he has a bright future and we all knew it too so (we told him) just keep sticking with the process, coming back stronger and healthier than before. That’s all he had to do really. He’s done a great job of it and he looks unbelievable out there.”
The hard working competitiveness in him really showed during the rehab process. Johnson has said on multiple occasions during his postgame press conferences that Horton’s determination to get healthy was rare.
Horton wanted to be involved as much as possible with the team and Johnson wanted to get him on the field in any capacity so he started traveling with the team on road trips. He then began to hit in the lineup before eventually becoming healthy enough to start pitching again.
“All of a sudden adversity hits him and he really starts working,” Johnson said. “To see what that guy did and what he’s done with our training staff, going in there and doing the work everyday … it’s been incredible.”
Merrell still keeps in touch with Horton to this day by texting him after his starts and just checking on him. During his rehabilitation, the two stayed in contact and Merrell also saw how dedicated he was to getting back on the field.
He also praised the Oklahoma training staff for making sure he was good to go at the right time and not rushing anything.
“He got after it working hard,” Merrell said. “We kept in touch. I’d check on him and see how he was progressing. If there were any setbacks, they were very little if at all. It went just the way the doctors wanted and he wanted. I know he worked hard and it was a long process. Once he was ready to go, I knew that he was ready.”
The Sooners autographed baseballs and posters during the baseball send off on June 15, 2022.
Horton is eligible for the 2022 MLB Draft in July and he’s quickly becoming one of the fastest rising prospects in the country.
He was ranked as the No. 49 overall player out of high school ahead of the 2020 MLB Draft by MLB.com. Some people, including Olds, think now, even with the surgery, he could be drafted a lot higher.
“He’s got first-round stuff that works at all levels of the game in my opinion,” Olds said.
His stock could reach sky high limits if he helps the Sooners keep their season alive and force a winner-take-all Game 3 which would be played at 6 p.m. Monday. Sunday’s start will be personal for Horton as he was previously committed to Ole Miss before decommitting and staying in Norman to play for his hometown team.
The Rebels’ coach Mike Bianco spoke highly of Horton during his media availability following Game 1 Saturday.
“He’s really had a great last month or so, coming off a surgery,” Bianco said. “He’s got tremendous stuff. I saw a little bit of (the Notre Dame game). We were preparing for this game, so I really haven’t locked in too much, but I know he’s pitched really well down the stretch here and he’s super talented.”
Those who know him best, know his competitive fire will be on display and that he’ll be bringing his best stuff to the mound Sunday. He’s out to prove his worth to the scouts that missed him during his high school days and to the opposing team he was previously committed to.
Whatever happens when the Sooners and Rebels take the field at 2 p.m. Sunday on ESPN at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Horton has put in the work to return from one of the scariest injuries in all of sports. However, he also wants to win.
“He’s going out there with a chip on his shoulder,” Olds said.
