Infielders’ Reunion Excites Matadors

Scrapbooks, yearbooks and photo albums preserve memories forever, but J.T. Stotts and Eric Horvat are bound together by their baseball experiences.

They first met when Stotts was 7 and Horvat was 8, as teammates on a North Valley youth team. They barely stood 5-feet tall, used 29-inch bats and made life miserable for their mothers because they always came home with the dirtiest uniforms.

“I’ve known him for so long,” Stotts said.

“I’ve known him forever,” Horvat said.

On that same North Valley team was Bill Scott, a sophomore outfielder at UCLA.

“It would be something if we all can make it to the big leagues,” Scott said. “You kind of think how you grew up with them and played with them all your life. It’s neat seeing what everybody has accomplished.”

Horvat and Stotts became teammates at Hart High. Horvat left last year to play third base at Cal State Northridge while Stotts emerged as one of the region’s best high school shortstops.

On Monday, the opening day of baseball practice at Northridge, they were side by side again, Horvat at third base, Stotts at shortstop.

Coach Mike Batesole of Northridge recruited both, and he couldn’t be more excited about putting together a reunion.

“If my boys grow up to be as good as those guys, I’ll be the happiest father,” he said.

When it comes to work ethic, loyalty and accountability, Horvat and Stotts could be twins.

Horvat comes from a family in which broken windows caused by baseballs hit in the backyard were considered a badge of honor. Oldest brother Bill played at Alemany and St. Mary’s. Youngest brother Marke is a junior catcher at Hart.

If no one answers the phone at the Horvat house in Valencia, assume one of three things: 1. Everyone is in the backyard hitting baseballs; 2. Everyone is at a Dodger game; 3. Everyone is watching Hart or Northridge play. Hog dogs are the favorite family meal.

“It just seemed like that’s what our family always did,” Bill, 28, said. “They have a net in the backyard, and Eric and Marke will take 300, 400, 500 swings. They keep going until their hands are blistered. I’m very proud of them. I brag about them all the time.”

Eric, 5 feet 10 and 170 pounds, batted .302 and set a Northridge freshman record with 12 home runs. He was the only original freshman recruit to stay after the program was eliminated because of budget cuts before being reinstated.

“It was a challenging circumstance,” he said. “It’s nice coming back knowing we’re stable.”

During the summer, Horvat played on a team in Santa Maria and improved so much defensively that Batesole said Horvat has gone from a “defensive liability” to a solid third baseman. But Batesole never had any doubts about Horvat succeeding.

“I recruit physical players,” Batesole said. “You might say he’s 5-10, but show up and watch him play. He plays strong, he plays hard, he plays fast.”

Said Horvat: “I just love the game. It’s fun to practice, to see how far you can hit a baseball.”

If today were opening day, Stotts would be Northridge’s starting shortstop, a rarity since Batesole became coach. Shortstop and catcher are positions where Batesole wants experienced players. Even All-American Adam Kennedy played left field as a freshman before moving to shortstop. But Stotts is no ordinary freshman.

“This is my sixth year, and he can do things I’ve never seen before,” Batesole said.

Stotts’ athleticism and arm strength make him a wizard in the field. No one knows how far he can progress because this is the first year he’s focusing on baseball. Throughout high school, basketball was his winter sport. He was the two-time Foothill League player of the year at point guard for Hart. Since his last game in February, he hasn’t touched a basketball.

“I kind of let it go,” Stotts said. “I figured if I start playing, maybe I’d want to come back.”

In fall baseball practice, the 5-11, 175-pound Stotts learned to release the ball quicker on throws and make faster decisions. The adjustment to college doesn’t worry him one bit.

“The more challenges I get, the better I become,” he said.

If he’s not practicing baseball or studying, Stotts probably can be found sitting in front of a television watching professional wrestling.

“I hope Vince McMahon fights Stone Cold [Steve] Austin for the belt,” he said as if he were a wrestling commentator.

This season, Northridge will play UCLA twice, matching Horvat and Stotts against Scott. The memories from their North Valley days will come rushing back. Maybe one of them can explain how their team didn’t win a championship with three future Division I players in the lineup.

“Oh God, put us together now,” Scott said. “Get the old North Valley all-star team together. I don’t think we’d lose.”

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Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.