St. Francis High junior Nash Horton missed the 2023 baseball season due to a major injury to his pitching shoulder.
While still in an arm sling, he was told to jot down any goals he had in mind.
What started as a short list turned into a full page of where he wanted to be by the end of the 2023 summer up until the final game of the 2024 regular season.
That piece of paper hung on his wall. Slowly but surely the checkmarks began to appear next to the three most important goals: be the league’s most valuable player, bat at a .400 average, and hit three-plus home runs.
“According to God’s plan, I was able to accomplish all three and I’m incredibly grateful for that,” Horton said.
Earlier this week, the Sharks’ star player was named the Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division’s co-Most Valuable Player for the 2024 season.
Horton will share top honors with Carmel High senior JJ Sanchez and sophomore Matt Maxon.
It was a special moment for Horton, who said it also meant a lot to his parents because they’ve dedicated a lot of time and money into his recovery, life and baseball career.
“I was super excited because I worked really hard, especially after last year where I couldn’t play the season with my shoulder being hurt and all,” Horton said. “It was a moment for me to reflect on how far I’ve come from being out for the season to now. I’m proud of where I’ve got to, but I still have a lot ahead of me and a lot of goals I still need to reach.”
St. Francis coach Ken Nakagawa said the award was well deserved for Horton, who was coming off an injury that could’ve ended his career.
“For him to put in all the work that he did and how hard he’s worked to get to that point is extremely, I’m sure, gratifying for him,” Nakagawa said. “But more importantly, it just shows how hard the kid’s worked. Extremely impressive.”
Going into the 2024 campaign, Horton said he had to show what he was capable of in the Gabilan Division—which is the top tier of the four divisions within the PCAL.
“I knew I had to come in this year and prove myself and solidify my spot as one of the best players,” he said.
Horton batted a .489 average (45-for-92) with three home runs, three triples, 10 doubles, nine walks, 33 RBIs, 33 runs scored and 23 stolen bases, according to statistics on the MaxPreps website.
On defense, he spent most of his time behind home plate as one of the Sharks’ primary catchers. Horton had 164 putouts and 23 assists with 14 double plays in 188 total chances, while gunning down four base runners who attempted to steal a base.
The school year just ended for Horton but he’s already heading off to Phoenix in a couple of weeks to play for the Trosky Baseball National team.
“I’m a big competitor. I hate losing more than I love winning,” he said. “My drive to get better is I know when I do the little stuff right, I could go and give myself the best chance to win.”
Another big motivating factor for Horton is always wanting to be the best person he can be, and having good integrity. He said not only is he representing himself, but it’s representing the school and his family.
“It takes a lot of work to do that mentally and physically,” Horton said.
Horton always strives to be successful, yet this year’s team was also important to him. He said putting in the work is what made the Sharks better, and his teammates motivated him to be the best.
“You can ask any of the guys on the roster, this team meant a lot to each and every one of us,” Horton said. “And our bond was as strong as a bond gets. We’re like a family. This team was really bigger than baseball.”
Horton had a great supporting cast with players such as Micah Cervantes, Javier Fonseca, Pedro Ibarra and Trey Silva—who all earned All-PCAL First Team honors.
“It easily could have been somebody else as well,” Nakagawa said of his players winning the Gabilan Division’s top honor. “But for [Horton] to get it, it’s extremely satisfying as a coach to see somebody that’s worked extremely hard to come back. Not only on the baseball field, but in the classroom and off campus, as well.”
Horton and the Sharks came up short of their end of the season goal of going on a Central Coast Section title run. They were eliminated in the opening round of the Division II playoffs following a 16-4 loss to The King’s Academy.
Horton said he wants to make sure everybody knows that the playoff loss didn’t define who they were as a team, it just made the Sharks hungrier.
“There’s no reason to not be proud of where we are at,” he said. “I just want to, for me, use it as motivation for next year.”
2024 All-PCAL Baseball
Gabilan Division
Most Valuable Players
Nash Horton, St. Francis
Matt Maxon, Carmel
JJ Sanchez, Carmel
First team
Nash Horton, St. Francis
Matt Maxon, Carmel
JJ Sanchez, Carmel
Wyatt Barton, Hollister
Johnny Carnazzo, Palma
Micah Cervantes, St. Francis
Javier Fonseca, St. Francis
Pedro Ibarra, St. Francis
Justin LeMaster, Carmel
Zander Lunt, Carmel
Trey Silva, St. Francis
Nate Wedderburn, Monterey
Carter Wright, Monte Vista Christian
Second team
Brody Edmunds Pacific Grove
Jackson Everett, Monterey
Bo Iandoli, Carmel
Jordan Isla, Salinas
Bubba Martinez, Palma
Daniel Martinez, Hollister
Bixby Moranda, Carmel
Cooper Palmer, Salinas
Rocco Razzecca, Palma
Steph Russo, Monterey
Kaleb Shannan, Palma
Nate Vasquez, Salinas
Breyden Watkins, Hollister
Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team
Ben Tucker, Carmel
Celso Lopez, Hollister
Evan Takehara, Monterey
Mikie Melenudo, Monte Vista
Kyle Lavin, Pacific Grove
Diego Villarreal, Palma
Nick Rianda, Salinas
Nick Fantl, St. Francis
Eligie Belizio Sportsmanship team
Pacific Grove
Mission Division
Most Valuable Players
Andrew Nichols, Soledad
Xavier Mendez, Alisal
Pitcher of the Year
Manny Gutierrez, Greenfield
First team
Xavier Mendez, Alisal
Andrew Nichols, Soledad
Manny Gutierrez, Greenfield
Amani Wilson, Stevenson
Ayden Ramirez, Alvarez
Adam Morris, Rancho San Juan
Isaiah Andrade, Alisal
Reggie Bell, Stevenson
Josh Degroodt, North Salinas
Anikan Tavarez, Soledad
Phinn Thomas, Stevenson
Daniel Valenzuela, Soledad
Vidal Perez, Soledad
Second team
Ayden Munoz, Rancho San Juan
Noah Nelson, Rancho San Juan
Jose Aguirre, King City
Sean Ishii, Stevenson
Vince Barajas, North County
Ivan Chavez, Alvarez
Jay Serrato, Alisal
Brady Legions, Watsonville
Tyler Baldwin, North County
Julian Hanson, Alvarez
Tony Pantoja, Greenfield
Andrew Raya, Soledad
Aiden Rodriguez, Watsonville
Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team
Jesus Cervantes, Rancho San Juan
Chase Whittman, Soledad
Isaiah Garcia, Alvarez
Alexander Loredo, Alisal
Jake Burkhardt, North Salinas
Mateo Lopez, Watsonville
Andrew Airada, Stevenson
Gerado Rangel, King City
Damien Martinez, Greenfield
Eligie Belizio Sportsmanship team
North Monterey County
Cypress Division
Player of the Year
Joseph Acosta, Gonzales
Offensive Player of the Year
Jayden Valero, Seaside
Defensive Player of the Year
Gary Salmeri, Seaside
First team
Joseph Acosta, Gonzales
Jonathan Ybarra, Gonzales
Ivan Pantoja, Gonzales
Daniel Mendez, Gonzales
Adrain Perez, Gonzales
Jayden Valero, Seaside
Gary Salmeri, Seaside
Taylor Rice, Seaside
Leo Alvardo, Marina
Kaleb True, Marina
Juan Moreno, Pajaro Valley
Pablo Moreno, Pajaro Valley
Second team
Noah Flores, Gonzales
Manuel Perea, Gonzales
Ethan Vasquez, Seaside
Noah Deleon, Seaside
Giovanni Moriel, Pajaro Valley
Alex Acosta, Pajaro Valley
Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team
Jericho Ryan, Marina
Julius Vallalobos, Gonzales
Brandon Moreno, Pajaro Valley
Cesar Vargas, Seaside
Elgie Bellizio Sportsmanship team
Pajaro Valley
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