Former Century Baseball head coach talks Mac Horvath following draft selection

Vinnie Mannese spoke on what Horvath brought to the Panthers and how it’s helped him reach the major leagues.

(ABC 6 News) — This past weekend, both former Century Panther and Rochester Honker Mac Horvath was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2023 MLB Draft.

It’s been a long but rewarding road for Horvath, especially for someone that played the Med City. ABC 6 Sports Reporter Jose Solis spoke with former Panthers Baseball head coach Vinnie Mannese on what he remembers about seeing Horvath for the first time and how he grew into the player he is now.

“He did what he needed to do,” Mannese explained. “He put his nose to the grind, coming in as a freshman, nobody knew him. He had a monster, monster year, so his head never got — was never blown up, he always stayed even-keel.”

“I think he understood also the hierarchy of the team. He might’ve known he was the best player on the team and maybe other kids knew that he was the best player on the team, but he never showed it. I think he learned how to manage his body, manage his workload, that all added and culminated into where he is now.”

Horvath’s college career at North Carolina saw him finish with a .275 batting average, 47 home runs and 141 RBI’s in addition to being one of eight d-I players to homer and steal a base 20 times each.