St. Francis High senior Nash Horton last month was presented with an offer he just couldn’t refuse.
The Sharks baseball standout verbally committed to play for Pepperdine University after he was told a roster spot would be waiting for him in the 2026 spring season.
“It’s an awesome opportunity. It’s something that I’ve dreamed about for my whole life. I’ve worked very hard to get in the spot that I’m at, and it just feels all that work that’s built up to this point has finally paid off,” Horton said.
Horton suffered a season-ending injury after he tore his labrum during his sophomore season. And it’s not your typical injury, either.
St. Francis baseball manager Ken Nakagawa said he’s seen careers come to a complete end following something so devastating, and painful.
“But the one thing [Horton] said was I will be back bigger, stronger and better. And he actually did it,” Nakagawa said. “Labrum surgery kills those baseball guys typically…and to fight through that, just the rehab that he did and the work ethic that he had to be able to come back from that type of injury to where he is today says a lot about who he is.”
Horton said he’s had a great supporting cast around him including friends and family, especially his parents Shauna and John.
“I’m really honored, and I’m really grateful to have the opportunity. It really does mean a lot to me,” he said.
Details of his scholarship weren’t disclosed but Horton said it’s definitely enough funding to get him through college. He said everything outside of the money was amazing such as the campus, coaches and the field.
Horton met and interacted with some of his future teammates during a trip last month. He put on a solid demonstration at the Five Tool California NorCal Summer Showcase in Stockton on Aug. 17-18.
Pepperdine manager Tyler LaTorre, an Aptos native, recognized Horton and invited him out to their personal camp the subsequent weekend.
“It was a perfect opportunity for me to see everything, and go to Pepperdine and meet the coaching staff in person,” Horton said. “I ended up talking to coach LaTorre after and he just said that he wanted to give me an offer.”
Horton played for LaTorre’s travel ball team when he was 9 years old. So, it was easy enough for both of them to feel that instant connection.
“We go pretty far back,” Horton said.
Plus Horton’s mom, Shauna, immediately brought up the idea of attending Pepperdine when she heard in June that LaTorre was named the new skipper.
“I didn’t really have anything in mind at that point, but obviously everything worked out perfectly and just how I wanted,” Horton said.
LaTorre is entering his first season with Pepperdine, yet he’s already proven to be a winner throughout his coaching and playing careers.
He was a member of the San Francisco Giants from 2006-15 when they won three World Series titles. LaTorre also led Westmont College to a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championship run in 2023.
“That’s the kind of program that I knew I was going to get myself into, and I want to be in a program that wants to win,” Horton said. “I know coach LaTorre and the rest of the coaching staff, that’s what their goal is every day. To develop their players and win baseball games.”
Pepperdine won a College World Series title in 1992 after defeating local rival Cal State Fullerton in the championship game at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.
Through the 2021 season, 35 former Waves players went on to have Major League Baseball careers.
Nakagawa said it’ll be a great academic environment for Horton, who carries a 4.3 grade point average and is the senior class president at St. Francis.
“I think having a local coach there in Tyler LaTorre, I think it has some roots to it. Overall I think it’s a great fit,” Nakagawa said. “It’s like home, it’s a beach town just like here in Santa Cruz. There’s a lot of things that attracted Nash to that environment there.”
Horton finished batting a team-best .489 average (45-for-92) with 10 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 33 RBIs, 33 runs scored and 23 stolen bases for the Sharks in 2023.
He was the primary catcher and can play at other various positions on the diamond. The right-handed pitcher had 10 strikeouts in four appearances on the mound.
Horton still has one more season at St. Francis, but he is looking forward to being an NCAA Division I athlete and living a life where baseball turns into an occupation. He wants to major in kinesiology and is interested in human body function.
“I’m just excited to go be on [Pepperdine’s] campus and be with a bunch of other guys that just want to get to the next level of baseball,” he said. “I just really enjoy being in those environments.”
