COLLEGE BASEBALL: SAYRE'S HORTON VERBALLY COMMITS TO PLAY AT DIVISION I LIBERTY UNIVERSITY (2021-06-20)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportSAYRE "” For Brayden Horton, Liberty University "checked all the boxes," so the Sayre junior verbally committed to play Division I baseball there in the fall of 2022.
Liberty University is a private evangelical Christian university, in Lynchburg, Va., and that played a big part in Horton's choice.
"I'm a Christian, so that's one of the things that brought me to Liberty in the first place.
"They are absolutely phenomenal in baseball, and many other sports," he noted. "Liberty is a name that's come up in a lot of conversation - they were in the Top 25 in baseball and football, and the men's basketball team has made the tournament the last few years.
"They're trying to make being Christian cool, and they're trying to spread Christianity in a cool way, so that really appealed to me.
"Liberty just checked all the boxes for me," continued Horton. "They have a gorgeous campus, they have my major, great sports programs, especially, for me, it's baseball program. Really, it just felt like this was where I was being called to.
"It's far enough away from home for the warner climate, so you can spend more of the year on baseball activities, but it's also close enough to home ... it just felt right," Horton added.
The facilities also caught Horton's attention.
"The facilities are top-notch, they are amazing," he said. "For being a mid-Major school, the facilities are top-of-the-line. They are probably up there with most Power 5 conference schools.
"For me, seeing that rally impressed me," Horton added. "Not many of the other schools I've been to were that imposing ... you step on campus and you think, "˜wow, they have something going on here I want to be a part of.'"
Liberty may be a new name on the collegiate landscape for a lot of fans, but it's been on Horton's radar for a long time; two of his uncles - Rich and Jonathan Horton both attended the university.
"I think that had a bit of an impact for me," said Horton. "It brought an awareness of Liberty to me early on. I think eventually, I would have taken an interest in the program, but from a young age I was aware of Liberty.
"Most people are looking at the Clemsons and Alabamas, but I was aware of Liberty early on, so I've been paying attention to them, and I did my research on them," he noted. "To me, they seemed like as good of a school as some of the more high-profile programs,
"It definitely had an impact, but in the end it came down to what's best for me, and I think Liberty is definitely the best fit for me," added Horton.
The pandemic hampered recruiting efforts all over the country, but things came together this week for Horton, who was at Liberty for a camp, then in South Carolina to play in a showcase tournament with his travel team.
"I've been talking to the Liberty coaches for nine or 10 months - since last fall, but with the NCAA dead period constantly being pushed back, I hadn't been able to get in front of them," he said. "The goal of this camp on Sunday and Monday was basically just to get me in front of them, to allow them to get their hands on me, and figure out what they have.
"I think it really perked their interest, but they also had their pitching coach, Matt Williams, at the tournament I played in this week," noted Horton, "I think that helped, too, plus it helped that I played well. I think that helped seal the deal.
"After the first or second game, I think they had seen what they wanted to see ... I got the offer Tuesday afternoon," Horton added. "I knew going in if the number was right, I would be at Liberty. It didn't take very long to accept."
So, does the commitment lighten the burden on Horton?
"It takes some of the pressure off to a certain extent, but I also realize there's more work ahead now that there was before.
"Before, it was I need to perform the way I can," noted Horton. "Now, I know where I need to be, so I need to continue to work hard to get to that point. Now, I understand how good these guys are, and how good I need to push myself to be."
Horton says he has a lot of work to do before he walks on campus in August of 2022.
"It's really just about getting better at what I currently have going for me."
"During my camp (at Liberty), there were a few (Liberty) players that came out, and I looked at them and thought, "˜OK, that's where I need to be in about a year-and-a-half,' he said.
It will be a lot of the things I've been doing: lifting, speed work, hitting ... all the little things, but you have to pick it up a notch," noted Horton. "As soon as I committed, the first thing I thought was "˜now is when the real work starts.'
"I know where I'm going now. I now how the school does things, so I need to get to that level to prepare for the four years I will be there.
"They told me it's possible I could make an impact the first two years I'm there, so I want to prepare the best I can for that scenario," added Horton.
The final box Liberty checked for Horton was academics.
"Liberty was also one of the few colleges I've been looking at that had my major," he said.
Horton will major in sports marketing and management.
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IN PHOTO: Sayre's Brayden Horton.
